Overview
- UKHSA surveillance shows overall weekly flu test positivity at 8.2%, with hospital test positivity around 30.8% in 5 to 14-year-olds.
- Flu hospitalisations rose to 2.19 per 100,000 with 247 new admissions in the latest week, exceeding levels at this point last year.
- People with flu or COVID-19 symptoms are advised to stay home or minimise contact with others, with guidance on face coverings, handwashing and ventilation.
- NHS England reports about 12.2 million flu vaccines delivered this autumn, with booking open through GPs, pharmacies, schools and community clinics.
- Leaders warn the early child-led wave could become a long, drawn-out season and highlight declining uptake and access barriers in some groups.