Three red flags you have flu and not a cold with over 5,000 in hospital
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The NHS has issued guidance on how to distinguish between a cold and the flu with three easy steps amid a surge in influenza hospitalisations. According to the latest data, the number of hospital patients with flu in England quadrupled to more than 5,000 ahead of New Year.
In the week ending December 29, there were an average of 4,469 patients with flu in hospital each day. This is almost 3.5 times higher than the same week last year – including 211 a day in critical care. The NHS reported that there were 4,102 patients in hospital with flu on Christmas Day, rising sharply by almost a quarter to 5,074 by December 29. On November 29 there were just 1,190 - meaning numbers quadrupled.
It comes as hospitals are still experiencing pressure from a range of viruses, with an average of 723 patients with norovirus in hospital in the week ending December 22, and 528 patients each day last week. Although this has come down, it remains 40 percent higher than 378 the same week last year.
There was also an average of 74 children with RSV in hospital every day last week, up almost half on 50 for the same period in 2023. On top of this there were an average of 1,184 beds occupied by patients with Covid. Professor Julian Redhead, NHS national clinical director for urgent and emergency care, commented: “These latest figures show the pressure from flu was nowhere near letting up before we headed into the New Year, skyrocketing to over 5,000 cases a day in hospital as of the end of last week and rising at a very concerning rate.
