A warning has been issued after numbers of cases of people hospitalised with flu quadrupled in just weeks. The number of people in hospital with flu in England is continuing to rise and is more than four times the level it was a month ago, NHS figures show.
An average of 4,469 flu patients were in beds in England each day last week, including 211 in critical care. This is up 17% from 3,818 the previous week, when 184 were in critical care.
It is also more than four times the number on December 1, when the total stood at 1,098. The figures have been published in the latest weekly snapshot of the performance of hospitals in England this winter.
The average number of flu patients in hospital in England each day last week, 4,469, is up sharply on the equivalent week last winter, when the average was 1,312. It is lower than this point two years ago, however, when the figure stood at 5,441.
An average of 528 hospital beds in England were filled each day last week by patients with diarrhoea and vomiting or norovirus-like symptoms, down from 723 the previous week but higher than the equivalent figure at this point last winter (377) and two years ago (338). The UK Health Security Agency said on X today: “We’ve been seeing more norovirus cases than in any season since we started our current reporting system.”
There were an average of 74 children with RSV in hospital wards in England last week, down from 87 the previous week but higher than at this point a year ago (50). The number of hospital beds occupied each day by patients who had tested positive for Covid-19 averaged 1,184, down week-on-week from 1,277.
People with flu symptoms have been urged to stay at home and also avoid family social gatherings this holiday period to protect vulnerable relatives. Officials also advice people staying off school and work until they feel better.
Flu symptoms
- Some of the main symptoms of flu include:
- a sudden high temperature
- tiredness and weakness
- a headache
- general aches and pains
- a dry, chesty cough
- sore throat
- difficulty sleeping
- loss of appetite
- diarrhoea or tummy pain
- feeling sick and being sick
- chills
- a runny or blocked nose
- sneezing
The NHS has issued advice as to when people should dial 999 or go to A&E with flu symptoms:
- you have severe difficulty breathing – for example, you struggle to speak without pausing, gasping or choking
- you have severe chest pain in the middle of your chest that isn’t going away – it may feel like pressure, tightness or squeezing
- you have pain that spreads to your arms, back, neck and jaw
- you feel more drowsy than usual or find it more difficult to wake up
- your lips or skin are turning very pale, blue or grey – on brown or black skin this is easier to see on the palms of your hands
Contact your GP practice urgently if you:
- are more short of breath than usual
- have pain on breathing in or coughing
- feel sick or are being sick – for example, you can’t keep food or fluids down
- are coughing up blood (haemoptysis)
- have heart palpitations – this may feel like your heart is racing, going too slowly or skipping a beat or like a fluttering feeling in your chest
- are peeing less than usual – this can be a sign of dehydration
- have a very high or low temperature – for example, you feel either hot or cold to touch or you’re shivering
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. For a while there have been warnings of a ‘tripledemic’ of COVID -19, 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.
“Ambulances are also facing huge demand, with thousands of extra patients and other pressures having an impact on handover delays, which is why our robust plans, including services like urgent treatment centres and same day emergency care are so important this winter. As always, the public have an important part to play in helping NHS staff over winter by, as ever, calling 999 in an emergency and using the NHS 111 service through the NHS App, online or phone, for advice on how to access the right support for non-emergency health needs.”
For more advice from NHS click here.