A forecast double winter wave of COVID-19 and the flu can be prime of the agenda when Nationwide Cupboard meet as we speak.
The federal authorities is predicted to allocate $2.1 billion to a administration plan, after well being specialists spent months predicting a surge in respiratory sicknesses through the winter.
Australia has not seen widespread winter flu for about two years, with COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns largely stopping a viral unfold.
However with these restrictions now all however vanished nation-wide, there are fears in regards to the stage of affect the flu can have alongside a brand new pressure of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
New information has steered the BA.2 pressure is changing into dominant in New South Wales, the place circumstances are set to double within the subsequent month.
Victoria is predicted to observe the same trajectory.
The BA.2 sub-variant is predicted to be 30 per cent extra infectious than the earlier Omicron pressure - itself famous for its infectiousness.
NSW Australian Medical Affiliation president Dr Danielle McMullen mentioned "a good bit of unfold" was anticipated by the group as the brand new pressure grow to be dominant.
"To date, we have no information from the remainder of the world that it's any extra or much less extreme, which is reassuring," she instructed At present.
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"We all know that Omicron has been a milder variant than earlier ones earlier than, so we're hopeful that that continues."
However she warned larger case numbers anticipated throughout the nation might see additional disruption to communities.
"One of the best factor individuals can do to assist scale back that unfold is get the booster dose," Dr McMullen mentioned.
The BA.2 variant is up to now inflicting the next fee of an infection in younger youngsters and college college students, which Dr McMullen mentioned was not surprising given their extra combined social settings.
Talking on At present yesterday, former Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Nick Coatsworth urged individuals to not neglect their flu jabs.
One other well being difficulty, the mosquito-borne sickness of Japanese encephalitis, will even be on Nationwide Cupboard's agenda.
How Australia confronted the emergence of the Omicron variant
The federal government has dedicated funding to purchase 130,000 doses of a vaccine to guard towards the lethal illness.
No less than two Australians have been confirmed to have died of the virus.