Flu rises above baseline in England while jab uptake for over-65s and toddlers trails last winter
Hospital admissions for flu and RSV both went up in the first week of November, according to the UK Health Security Agency's latest figures.
Flu is now circulating above its baseline level in England, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said in its weekly winter virus report on Thursday.
The figures cover the week from 2 to 8 November. Flu is still at low levels overall, but most measures went up:
- hospital admissions rose to 3.65 per 100,000 people, from 3.00 the week before
- the highest admission rate was among people aged 85 and over, at 22.55 per 100,000
- 8.1% of laboratory tests for flu came back positive, up from 7.8%
- among swabs taken by GPs, positivity rose to 13.1% from 12.3%
Flu A accounts for the large majority of positive samples, and among those typed so far the H1N1 strain is the most common.
Vaccination behind last year
By the end of the week, 63.1% of people aged 65 and over registered with a GP had had a flu jab. At the same point last winter the figure was 65.1%.
Uptake was also lower among under-65s in clinical risk groups (30.4%, against 31.4%) and among two and three year olds, at 35.8% and 35.6%. Pregnant women were the one group ahead of last year, at 32.7% compared with 31.4%.
The UKHSA has asked everyone eligible for a free NHS vaccine to have one. The NHS made a similar appeal to families during the October half-term.
RSV, Covid and norovirus
RSV admissions climbed from 0.89 to 1.30 per 100,000. Among children under five, the rate went from 12.76 to 18.18 per 100,000.
Covid-19 was stable, with 7.2% of laboratory tests positive and admissions at 2.22 per 100,000.
Norovirus reports have risen but remain within the usual range for the time of year. The UKHSA advises washing hands with soap and warm water, since alcohol gel does not kill the virus, and staying off work, school or nursery until 48 hours after symptoms stop.
