The NHS is facing its ‘worst-case scenario for this time of year’ as super-flu hospitalisations surged by 55% in one week
Professor Meghana Pandit, the national medical director for the NHS, warned that the tsunami of ‘super-flu’ cases sweeping the UK is ‘unprecedented’ and added that worse still, the peak of this wave is ‘not in sight’.
An average of 2,660 patients per day were in a hospital bed with flu last week – the highest ever for this time of year and up 55% up on last week.
The number of norovirus patients in hospital beds has also risen by 35% – to an average of 354 each day last week – as winter viruses start to engulf hospitals.
The NHS is urging anyone eligible to get their flu vaccination to help prevent them getting seriously ill. Today’s data shows more than 17.4 million have been vaccinated so far this year – over 170,000 more than this time last year.
Over 60,000 more frontline healthcare workers have had their flu vaccinations this year compared to a similar time last year with thousands more expected to get jabbed in the coming days.
