A “milder” bout of influenza is expected in the coming days but Mater Dei Hospital is still bracing itself for an influx of patients.

As temperatures are forecast to plummet in the coming days, hospital CEO Ivan Falzon said the indications were that the influenza season would not be so severe, certainly when compared to last winter’s.

Yet, the first patients to be treated in hospital were admitted days before Christmas, earlier than in previous years. The peak was expected in the coming days and a longer season than usual was expected, Mr Falzon said.

During last year’s peak, between January and February, hospital consultants were seeing 45 to 50 new admissions a day as opposed to the 25 or so throughout the rest of the year.

Read: Beat the flu through vaccination

Mr Falzon said that though the impact on the community might not be so pronounced this winter as was the case last year, that did not necessarily mean hospital activity would not be higher than the rest of the year.

“One needs to keep in mind that the flu affects a specific group of patients – namely the elderly and those who are ill – more fiercely. These people would require treatment in hospital and so there will still be an increase in the number of patients admitted,” Mr Falzon noted.

The hospital struggled to cope with the outbreak last year. At one point, patients had to be moved to Karin Grech Rehabilitation Hospital and even to private hospitals because no beds were available at Mater Dei.

In December, a Health Ministry spokeswoman said a “contingency plan” was already in place at Mater Dei to better deal with an influx of patients.

Mr Falzon said a “schedule plan”, aimed at maximising the use of beds and ensuring collaboration with other hospitals ran smoothly, was launched in October.

Commending patients for not rushing to the emergency room before visiting a health centre or their family doctor, a habit the hospital management slowed down at the department, Mr Falzon reiterated calls for people to first seek assistance at primary healthcare facilities.

The ministry spokeswoman said Mater Dei currently had about 92% occupancy, higher than average but lower compared to this time last year.

“Mater Dei has contingency plans in place to deal with this expected rise in activity. So far this year, 85,000 individuals availed themselves of the free influenza vaccination service. There is still the opportunity to vaccinate oneself at the various health centres around the island,” she advised.

The government on Thursday urged the elderly to stay active and warm in view of the imminent cold spell.

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