The rush coincides with national media coverage of six deaths of elderly people at the Strathdevon aged care facility in Latrobe last week.

Tasmanian Health Service executive director North and North-West, Eric Daniels, said the LGH’s emergency department had seen an increase in patients presenting since the weekend with influenza-like symptoms. 

“In many cases, these people had not been referred by, or had seen, a general practitioner before attending the emergency department,” he said.

“For most fit and well persons with the symptoms of influenza, a GP is an excellent and appropriate first source of advice and care.

“Influenza can be more severe for elderly persons and those with chronic medical conditions.”

Mr Daniels said people wanting immediate emergency care at hospitals should present when they experience serious symptoms like chest pain, severe breathless or symptoms of stroke.

Public Health director Mark Veitch said there had been about 1500 confirmed cases of influenza in Tasmania this year; a season he described as “moderately severe”.

He said the best thing to do to stop the spread was for people to stay away from schools, hospitals, and aged-care facilities if they were unwell.

Over the weekend, 14 aged-care facilities were being monitored by the department for influenza.

There have been more than 132,000 cases of confirmed flu nationally this winter.

This figure broke the 2015 record of 100,000 cases.