WINTER pressure on the NHS is building with flu cases in hospital already surpassing last year’s peak – and the virus set to spread even more over the Christmas break.
The latest figures published by NHS England today show one in 18 hospital beds are being taken up by patients with a festive bug, with 2,504 beds alone being taken up by flu patients.
This is an increase of almost 40 per cent on last week (1,795).
There were a total of 2,629 patients with flu in hospital last week, including 125 in critical care beds – up 90 per cent on the week before.
Cases of norovirus and RSV also remain high with 711 beds taken up by norovirus patients, almost a quarter more than last year, and 127 children in hospital with RSV each day last week – a quarter more children when compared to the same period last year.
And winter viruses are expected to rise in the coming weeks as children finish school and families and friends congregate at Christmas parties and gatherings, which contributes to the increased spread of viruses.
With Covid-19 thrown in the mix and fears around a ‘quad-demic’ continuing, anyone eligible for winter vaccinations and still not protected should book in their jab today.
Today (Thursday 19 December) is the last chance to book winter vaccinations online or via NHS 111 for an appointment at a local vaccination site.
From tomorrow, you can still visit a Covid-19 walk-in vaccination site or find a pharmacy offering the flu vaccine, but you may have to travel further.
In response, the NHS has opened more beds at this time of year than ever before (102,464), yet bed occupancy remains high, with 96,406 beds occupied.
NHS national medical director, Professor Stephen Powis, said: “The NHS has been hit hard with an early festive flu season, putting increased pressure on staff as they prepare for the long winter ahead of us.
“In response to the flood of flu cases so early in the season, the NHS has been making it as easy as possible for people to get protected with a jab, including vaccination centres in supermarket car parks and football clubs, helping protect almost 29 million people across England – while also opening up more hospital beds.
“As children finish school and friends and families congregate over the Christmas period we expect viruses to continue to spread so if you haven’t got your flu jab and are eligible please come forward, and the public should think twice about seeing loved ones if they are seriously unwell.
“As the busy winter continues, I am incredibly grateful to those staff working to keep patients safe and provide them with the best possible care and I would remind anyone who needs medical support to continue to use 999 and A&E in an emergency and for everything else, use NHS 111 or 111 online.”
According to the latest data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) one in four tests done on Brits of all ages with coughs and colds tested positive for flu.
This showed cases had more than doubled from the previous week, where one in 10 cases tested positive.
The best form of protection against flu, Covid and RSV are vaccinations.
The NHS offers flu and Covid-19 vaccines to those who are eligible, such as those aged 65 or over and those that are pregnant.
In September 2024 it began offering the RSV vaccine to people at the highest risk of serious illness from the infection, such as people turning 75 and older.
There’s currently no vaccine to prevent norovirus, but there are clinical trials underway.
You can get both the NHS flu and Covid-19 vaccines if you:
Are home residents, carers and people who live with someone who has a weakened immune system can also get the flu vaccine.
Children aged two or three years and school-aged children (Reception to Year 11) can get the children’s flu vaccine.
The RSV vaccine is recommended if:
If you turned 80 on or after September 1, 2024, you’re eligible for the RSV vaccine until August 31, 2025.
But you’re not eligible for the RSV vaccine if you turned 80 before September 1, 2024.
Source: NHS
