Overview
- UKHSA week‑40 data show COVID-19 hospital admissions rose to 4.65 per 100,000 from 3.41, with ICU admissions increasing to 0.14 per 100,000.
- People aged 85 and over recorded the highest COVID-19 admission rate, reaching 48.56 per 100,000.
- Influenza indicators climbed, with hospital test positivity averaging 3.3% after 1.9% the week before, and activity rising in young adults.
- Recent sequencing identifies the XFG “Stratus” lineage as the most prevalent in England, which WHO classifies as a variant under monitoring with low global risk.
- The NHS booking system is open for eligible groups, with about 4.3 million flu jabs and over one million COVID-19 doses delivered, and guidance stresses masks when symptomatic, hand hygiene and ventilation.