The number of cases of influenza serious enough to require hospitalization is on the rise and will only get worse over the holiday season as more people gather together.
As festive infections “flood” hospitals in the early winter, the service said that cases have already exceeded last year’s high.
According to the latest weekly statistics, one in twenty hospital beds is being taken or closed due to a festive bug. 2,504 beds for general and acute care are taken by flu patients alone – a 40% increase on last week.
Last week there were 2,629 flu patients in hospitals, with 125 of them in critical care. This is a 90% increase on the 66 cases reported the week before.
Norovirus and RSV cases are also high. 711 beds were taken by patients with norovirus, which is almost a quarter higher than last year.
Last week, RSV affected 127 children each day, which is a quarter higher than the same time last year. (Or 94 children in the week ending 17 December 2023).
NHS England has also warned that winter viruses will increase in the next few weeks, as the children finish their schooling and the families and friends gather at Christmas parties. This increases the spread of viruses.
The staff were working to protect those at greatest risk of serious illness from flu, Covid-19, and RSV during this winter, with the fears surrounding a ‘quaddemic’ still continuing. NHS England has now distributed a total 28.5 million vaccinations since September.
Last week, NHS 111 handled 395,861 phone calls, nearly 10,000 more than the previous year.
NHS National Medical Director Professor Sir Stephen Powis stated: “The NHS was hit hard by an early holiday flu season. This increased the pressure on staff preparing for the long winter that lies ahead.
He added that the public should be cautious about visiting loved ones who are seriously ill.
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