Struggling health systems brace for 5,000 Covid-linked daily hospital admissions amid early flu peak

Some 6,500 health staff are off work in Queensland, NSW and Victoria as Covid and flu place pressure on hospitals

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Australia's three most populous states are facing shortfalls of more than 6,500 hospital and healthcare staff as the nation's health system braces for Covid hospitalisations to rise to more than 5,000 cases a day.

This comes amid a turbulent start to the flu season that has also led to more than 1,300 admissions to a group of major hospitals across the nation so far this year.

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