Flu hospitalisations in England hit record high for December, up 55% in a week

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By Jane Kirby and Daniel Pye

The number of people in hospital in England with flu has reached a record level for this time of year, jumping by 55% in a week, NHS figures show.

Health secretary Wes Streeting said “there is a tidal wave of flu tearing through our hospitals” as figures showed an average of 2,660 flu patients in hospital each day last week, up from 1,717 the previous week.

At this point last year, the number stood at 1,861 patients, while in 2023 it was just 402.

Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS national medical director, warned the “unprecedented wave of super flu is leaving the NHS facing a worst-case scenario for this time of year” and there was no peak in sight.

Weekly flu numbers in England peaked at 5,408 patients last January and reached 5,441 over the winter of 2022/23, the highest level since the pandemic.

This year’s flu season started a month earlier, whilst a drifted influenza A(H3N2) strain – also known as subclade K – is currently dominating cases in England, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).