Push For over 65s To Get The Flu Jab Ahead Of Winter

South Australians over the age of 65 will be eligible to receive a flu jab from Monday, in a bid to further ease escalating on the state's hospital system.

Five clinics including the Elizabeth, Noarlunga, North Adelaide, Wayville and Kilkenny will offer both influenza and Covid vaccines the SA's older cohort on the same day.

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It follows Premier Peter Malinauskas warning on Sunday, that the state’s hospital system is under “extraordinary pressure”.

“[That is] a consequence of the COVID numbers that we’re now seeing within the community,” he told reporters yesterday.

“But if we have flu over and above that, that will present yet another challenge to pressure on our hospital system in a way that is avoidable through people getting vaccinated.”

Meanwhile, Mr Malinauskas remains adamant the state’s indoor mask mandates will be ditched from Thursday, with the Emergency Management Council set to meet on Tuesday to overhaul the state’s pandemic restrictions.

SA health officials will likely scrap mandatory masks for most indoor public locations; however, they are set to remain for public transport and high-risk setting such as hospitals and health, aged or disability care facilities.

“We’re still on track to achieve that objective,” the Premier told FIVEaa on Friday.

“Of course, if something catastrophic happened between now and then … then we’d have to wait and see but as it currently stands everything’s on track.”

It comes amid fresh concerns that the fusion of school holidays and the end of mask mandates could send Covid cases skyrocketing.

Instead, the premier, hopes the Easter break could be a circuit breaker.

“The biggest issue we’ve got at the moment is in schools … that’s where the virus is spreading at pace,” he said.

“Fingers crossed that might act as a bit of a circuit breaker as it comes to the spreading of COVID within schools.”

SA recorded 4281 new cases on Monday, while 236 people are admitted to hospital with Covid, with 13 patients in ICU.

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