Overview
- An average of 2,924 patients with flu were in hospital each day in the week ending January 4, a 9% increase after two weeks of decline.
- Inpatients with norovirus and Covid also rose, and overall bed occupancy climbed 5% week on week to just under 92%.
- Ambulance handover delays worsened, with 33% of arrivals waiting at least 30 minutes and 12% over an hour, in a week that included New Year’s Eve.
- Regional analysis shows the fastest week-on-week increases in the south-west (+36%), south-east (+24%) and eastern England (+17%), with London largely flat.
- A(H3N2) subclade K remains the dominant strain affecting older adults most, as the NHS reports more than 18.6 million flu vaccinations and plans targeted reminders for eligible children.