Overview
- Latest surveillance shows flu test positivity at 17.1%, hospital admissions rising to 7.79 per 100,000, and an average of 1,717 patients in hospital each day — a record for this point in the season.
- UKHSA reports a dominant A(H3N2) subclade K driving an unusually early wave, with NHS leaders warning there is no clear peak yet and London services describing an unprecedented burden.
- Early UKHSA estimates indicate this season’s vaccine provides meaningful protection — roughly 70–75% against hospital attendance in children and about 30–40% in adults — with calls to vaccinate before Christmas.
- Uptake remains patchy, with less than a third of frontline hospital staff vaccinated by the end of October and low school nasal‑spray coverage in several regions, prompting catch‑up clinics and renewed appeals.
- The NHS advises people who feel unwell to cover their nose and mouth, consider face masks, stay home if feverish, and seek pharmacist or 111 advice, as some trusts activate contingency measures to manage pressure.