Overview
- An average of 2,924 patients with flu were in hospital each day in the week ending 4 January, a 9% increase after two weeks of decline.
- Beds occupied by patients with diarrhoea, vomiting or norovirus-like symptoms averaged 361 a day, up 27%, and overall hospital occupancy climbed to just under 92%.
- Ambulance handover pressures worsened, with 33% of arrivals waiting at least 30 minutes and 12% delayed over an hour, though average handover times remain faster than a year ago.
- The sharpest week-on-week flu increases were recorded in southern and eastern England, led by a 36% jump in the south-west, while London and the north-east were broadly flat.
- More than 18.6 million flu vaccines have been delivered this season and targeted reminders for clinically vulnerable children go out next week, as critical care flu numbers edged down to 108.