An epidemiologist is calling for mandatory self-isolation for people with the flu as hospitals struggle to meet immense demand.
Hospitals across the country are under enormous pressure due to a combination of staffing shortages, a bad winter illness season and COVID-19.
Speaking with AM on Thursday, Michael Baker said making it mandatory for people with the flu to isolate would help.
"I think that's one of the big things we've learnt from COVID-19 - it's not okay if you get a respiratory infection just to go back to school or work or go out socialising until you've got over it," he told AM's Ryan Bridge.
Baker said the same isolation rules for COVID-19 should apply to the flu.
Currently, people who test positive for coronavirus must isolate for seven days, starting from when you first became symptomatic or the day you test positive - whichever is first.
Baker said putting the same rules in place for influenza would help minimise the impacts of the illness on hospitals and keep people safe.
"I think the same rule should apply [as COVID]. You should basically stay at home at least until you don't have any symptoms, do a RAT [Rapid Antigen Test] and obviously that's seven days [if positive].
"Even if you're negative for that RAT test, we know it's not always totally sensitive. And I think you need to wait until you don't have symptoms again."
Baker said isolation would help keep influenza cases down, which is currently having a bigger impact on the health system than COVID-19.
"Most of the people getting admitted to hospital have influenza. And the symptoms do overlap, they're not identical, but you cannot tell from your symptoms what you have."
He said while the call might seem unnecessary to some, it's better than infecting everyone around you.
"It's better than the alternative that you go to work or school and then infect all the people around you, and then they have to go through the same process.
"If everyone did two things really carefully, assuming everyone is vaccinated and boosted, the other two things you have to do is - you have to basically put yourself out of circulation when you have a respiratory infection, that's one thing we've learnt. The other is that you need to wear a mask if you are indoors with other people in a confined environment and they're not members of your family. And we need a mask mandate at schools again to get us through winter."
Staffing shortage issues are so severe hospitals in Auckland and Wellington were recently forced to hand out vouchers for free GP visits because the emergency departments couldn't keep up with demand.
In South Auckland, 27 general practices offered free appointments because Middlemore Hospital's ED was overwhelmed.
But even GPs are struggling with the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners recently urging Kiwis not to visit the doctor if they're only mildly unwell.
