People in hospital with flu QUADRUPLES in a month to thousands as amber health warning issued

New NHS data reveals that flu cases have continued to surge over the Christmas and New Year period, with over 5,000 patients in hospital because of the illness at the end of last week.

The figures show an average of 4,469 patients with flu in hospital each day during the week ending December 29 - almost 3.5 times higher than the same week last year, including 211 a day in critical care.

On Christmas Day, there were 4,102 patients in hospital with flu, a number which sharply rose by nearly a quarter just days later, to 5,074 by Sunday 29 December. This means that hospitalised flu cases have quadrupled within a month, from 1,190 on November 29.

Health officials warn of serious pressure on the NHS into 2025, with amber cold health alerts for England issued by UKHSA as temperatures are set to drop below freezing in the coming days. Hospitals continue to face huge demand from a slew of viruses, with an average of 723 patients with norovirus in hospital in the week ending 22 December, and 528 patients each day last week.

Although this has decreased, it remains 40% higher than the 378 patients during the same week last year.

There was also an average of 74 children with RSV in hospital every day last week, up nearly half on 50 for the same period in 2023, as well as an average of 1,184 beds occupied by patients with Covid. The national vaccination booking system has now closed, but those eligible can still get protected by visiting a COVID-19 walk-in vaccination site or finding a pharmacy offering the flu vaccine.

The NHS says it introduced several initiatives, such as improved 24-hour coordination centres, assistance for frequent A&E visitors, enhanced same-day emergency care, and expanded community care to meet the high