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Health bosses have urged more than five million people in England to get their flu jab after what has been described as an 'unusually early' wave of the virus.

The latest figures by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) show the percentage of people who tested positive for flu increased to 10.9 per cent last week, compared with 8.2 per cent the previous week and 6.1 per cent the week before that.

It comes as the NHS has issued an urgent 'flu jab SOS' , urging people to get protected now amid an early wave of the virus . NHS England has warned that cases are already triple what was recorded at the same time last year, with weeks to go before the worst of the flu season typically bites.

It follows the biggest flu season in Australia's history, which the NHS warns

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