Auckland's Middlemore Hospital is dealing with a surge in influenza cases.
Staff at Middlemore Hospital are feeling the strain. Photo:
Counties Manukau DHB acting chief executive Pete Watson said the hospital was busy with "unprecedented" numbers of flu patients.
He said Covid-19 numbers have stabilised.
Watson said staff absentees due to illness were "really challenging and difficult" and Auckland DHBs were working together to manage demand and capacity.
Meanwhile, Watson said at least 33,000 women were overdue their routine cervical smears.
The number of women who had missed a smear had increased over the past three years, partly due to Covid-19 restrictions, he said.
The DHB did not reach its target of seeing 80 percent of women aged 25 to 69 years, in the year to March.
Watson said catching up on planned care would take a significant amount of time because the DHB was now dealing with a surge in winter illness.
