Photo: NZ HeraldAmbulance services across the country have been struggling to cope with demand over the last week and St John fears worse is to come. Emergency ambulance service demand had increased 6-7 percent on a usual winter and 14-15 percent compared with the average across the year. He said demand had peaked in a way they had never seen before and had come much earlier in the season. Also putting a strain on the service was staff sickness. This comes as hospitals around the country report record levels of winter sickness among children.

Source: Otago Daily Times July 15, 2021 03:33 UTC