There has been a 352% increase in the number of people hospitalised with the flu compared to this time last year, NHS data shows.
NHS fears of a potential ‘quad-demic’ are rising, with the number of patients currently in hospital with the flu now at 1,099 every day last week. This time last year it was just 243.
However, last year’s flu season peaked much later, at the end of January.
New weekly figures show the NHS is going into the winter under significant pressure. More than a thousand beds were occupied every day last week with adults suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting bugs, and norovirus, peaking at 1,160 on Sunday. This compared to an average of 591 daily cases in hospital this time last year.
And there was an average of 1,390 patients with COVID in hospital beds each day last week, and 142 children in hospital each day with RSV, along with 756 patients with norovirus – an 86% increase from a year ago.
The flu vaccine
More than 27 million vaccinations have taken place, with England’s chief medical officer among those urging people to get the jab.
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With cases “rising rapidly”, school aged children are among the worst affected. Among those aged five to 14, almost 17% of tests positive for flu – up from 11.5% last week.
NHS national medical director, Professor Sir Stephen Powis, said: “The NHS is busier than it has ever been before heading into winter, with flu and norovirus numbers in hospital rising sharply – and we are still only at the start of December, so we expect pressure to increase and there is a long winter ahead of us.
Read more: What is the ‘quad-demic’ – and how can you protect yourself?
“For a while there have been warnings of a ‘tripledemic’ of COVID, flu and RSV this winter, but with rising cases of norovirus this could fast become a ‘quad-demic’ so it’s important that if you haven’t had your COVID or flu jab to follow the lead of millions of others and come forward and get protected as soon as possible.”
