Overview
- The World Health Organization says the H3N2 K subclade was detected 3 to 6 weeks earlier than usual across Europe and North America.
- NHS figures reported by The Guardian show England averaging 1,717 flu patients in hospital beds each day with 69 in intensive care.
- European surveillance reports a weekly test positivity of 17.1%, with Spain’s incidence above 600 cases per 100,000 and some areas over 1,600.
- NHS Providers’ chief Daniel Elkeles urges people with symptoms to wear masks in public, and the UK Health Security Agency says masks remain useful in some situations.
- Schools have reinstated controls, with assemblies restricted in Leeds and a temporary closure in Caerphilly, while 107 acute respiratory incidents were logged in English education settings in late November.