The key symptoms of flu, Norovirus, Covid, Strep A and common cold to look out for this Christmas

Flu season is officially underway, health bosses have warned, with the number of people being hospitalised for winter bugs - including influenza and Coronavirus - rising. An average of 402 people were in hospital each day last week with flu, up by nearly two-thirds (65%) from 243 in the previous week, NHS data shows.

It is the highest number so far this winter, but is below the equivalent figure for this point last year – 1,248 – when the UK was in the middle of its worst flu season for a decade. The number of people in hospital with Covid-19 has also risen in recent weeks, signalling the start of a possible winter jump in infections.

Admission of patients testing positive for coronavirus stood at 3.8 per 100,000 people in the week to December 10, up from 3.0 the previous week and 2.5 a fortnight ago, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). This is well below the levels seen during the winters of 2020 and 2021.

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Norovirus cases are on the up too. An average of 506 adult hospital beds were filled last week by patients with diarrhoea and vomiting or norovirus-like symptoms. This is up a quarter (25%) from 406 beds the previous week, and 31% higher than at this stage last year, when the average stood at 387.

Other infections, including Strep A and the common cold, are still circulating. It can be difficult to differentiate between flu, Covid, common cold and Strep A as they share similar symptoms - although there are some ways to tell them apart, as explained below.

These are the key symptoms to be aware of this winter.

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