More deaths from swine flu are expected, Health Minister Tony Ryall said today.
The country's first three deaths from the virus were announced on Saturday, and today five other people remained in critical condition, including an otherwise healthy young woman.
Mr Ryall told Radio
When asked if more New Zealanders were expected to die from the virus, he said "sadly, that is the case".
"Every year we lose just over 400 New Zealanders to flu or flu-related complications [and] swine flu is going to increase that number ... we will have potentially more cases."
Mr Ryall expected significant pressure on hospitals and their emergency departments and said people had to be prepared to be patient when seeking medical attention.
He said health authorities were expecting a peak in swine flu cases but were unsure when that would happen because the virus was relatively new and there was low immunity to it.
Calls to Healthline had risen by 40 percent after the Ministry of Health announced the three deaths.
A young girl who died yesterday morning in Wellington Hospital and a 42-year-old man who died on Thursday in Christchurch both had underlying medical conditions.
The coroner will investigate whether any medical conditions played a part in the death of Zachary Wilson, 19, from Hamilton, who died at home last Sunday without having been diagnosed with swine flu.
As of yesterday, 961 cases of swine flu had been confirmed in
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