The flu is hospitalizing almost 60 times more people this year than last winter, official figures show, as the NHS continues to be battered by the virus.
Data from NHS England shows that an average of 1,939 people with flu were in hospital each day in the past week.
It was 67 percent higher than the 1,162 registered the previous week and 57 times higher than the 32 registered at the same point in 2021.
Although still lower than Covid, the flu figure was also a sharp increase from the daily average of 480 at the end of November.
Data from NHS England shows that an average of 1,939 people with flu were in hospital each day in the past week. It was 67% higher than the 1,162 registered the previous week and 57 times higher than the 34 registered at the same point in 2021.
Experts described the increase as “shooting”.
There has also been an increase in the number of flu patients in intensive care beds in England, with a daily average of 149 last week, up 72 per cent from 87 the week before.
At the equivalent point last year, the NHS had just two flu patients a day in critical care.
The flu admission rate is currently 8.3 per 100,000 people, a weekly increase of 6.8 per 100,000 and a level not seen since the 2017-18 season.
Flu admissions continue to be highest among those 85 and older, at 42.0 per 100,000 people, and children ages 4 and younger, at 19.4 per 100,000, according to the most recent data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
All two- and three-year-olds are eligible for a nasal spray flu vaccine from local GPs.
But only 38.8 percent of two-year-olds have received the vaccine so far, along with 40.9 percent of three-year-olds, well below the acceptance achieved to this point in previous winters. .
Saffron Cordery, acting chief executive of NHS Providers, said: “Trusted leaders expect this Christmas to be one of the darkest yet. As they work hard to mitigate the impact of the ongoing strike, they also have to deal with an incredibly long list of other serious challenges.
“After very few flu cases in the last two years, partly due to social distancing during the pandemic, this flu season looks much more serious compared to the years before the pandemic.
“The increase in the flu has affected the occupancy of beds, which continues to be above the levels considered safe.
“More patients are also staying longer in hospital due to increased severity of illness and delayed discharge, which remains a real concern and puts enormous pressure on the entire health and care system, including community care. and social services”.
The spread of the flu has been drastically thwarted over the past two winters, largely due to restrictions put in place to control the spread of Covid.
Work-from-home rules and limits on social mixing prevented the flu and other seasonal respiratory viruses from taking off as they normally would.
The suppression of the annual cycle has left Britons with less immunity against the virus, say scientists.
And most young children, who, unlike Covid, are one of the risk groups for influenza, have never encountered it in their lives.
Health chiefs say this leaves the country at risk of more serious illness than usual.
Dr Susan Hopkins, UKHSA’s chief medical adviser, said that in addition to those eligible to be vaccinated, to stop the spread of infections people should try to stay home if they are not feeling well and wear face coverings in closed spaces.
She added: ‘Hospitalizations have risen dramatically in people aged 75 and over in the last week, and admissions among children under five remain high.
‘ICU admissions have also increased this week.
“NHS services are already under pressure, so it’s more important than ever to protect yourself with the flu vaccine and help keep you out of hospital.”
Separate data shows there were 721,301 calls to NHS 111 services last week, up from 706,129 the week before.
NHS England said this was a “near record” level of demand and “significantly” more than usual for this time of year, almost 60 per cent more than the 452,644 calls in the equivalent week in 2021.
It is understood that this increase in demand is due in part to parents concerned about the symptoms of strep A.
England’s NHS National Medical Director, Professor Sir Stephen Powis, urged those eligible to get their flu and covid shots.
He said: “In addition to the impact of industrial action last week, it is clear that the NHS faces enormous pressure ahead of Christmas with the number of flu cases in hospital and in intensive care rising week on week, plus significant increases in staff illness rates and near-record demand for services like 111.
‘Despite this, NHS staff continue to deliver a significant amount for patients, deal with near-record 111 calls and continue to make progress on Covid-19 delays.
‘With more industrial action scheduled for next week, there will be disruption, but we urge the public to continue to use services wisely by continuing to call 999 for life-threatening emergencies, using 111 online for other health conditions and taking sensible steps to keep yourself and others safe.
‘The NHS has extensively winterized with more beds, additional call handlers and the expansion of fall response services, control centers and respiratory centres, but with flu hospitalizations and Covid cases on the rise, the best thing you can do to protect yourself is to get vaccinated if you are eligible.’
There have been suggestions that if the trend continues, the UK could experience its worst flu outbreak since the winter of 2017/18, which killed 30,000 people.
Streptococcus A bacteria can cause a variety of other infections, including impetigo, scarlet fever, and strep throat.
While the vast majority of infections are relatively mild, in exceptionally rare cases, the bacteria can cause invasive group A streptococcal (iGAS) infections.
Currently, the health service is facing attacks from all sides, as doctors battle the pressure of viruses, striking staff and the spread of strep A.
Data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows that 21 children in England have died from the usually mild bacterial infection so far this year.
Two children in Wales and one in Northern Ireland have also lost their lives, bringing the UK death toll so far this winter to 24.
The victims include Muhammad Ibrahim Ali, a four-year-old from Buckinghamshire, and Hannah Roap, seven, from Wales.
Although low, the number of deaths of children from strep A in Britain is higher than expected for this time of year.
Twenty-seven children under the age of 18 died from the virus throughout the last bad winter, in 2017/18.
Streptococcus A bacteria can cause a variety of other infections, including impetigo, scarlet fever, and strep throat.
While the vast majority of infections are relatively mild, in exceptionally rare cases, the bacteria can cause invasive group A streptococci (iGAS).
Two of the most serious forms of this invasive disease are necrotizing fasciitis and strep toxic shock syndrome. Both can kill.
The data suggests that iGAS cases are already up to five times higher than last winter, which was unusually quiet.
However, the levels already seen this season have exceeded all peaks seen in the last six years.
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