Flu hospitalisations are ten times higher than this time of year two years ago as Britain is braced for its worst flu season on record.

A new flu strain is causing more severe illness even in otherwise healthy people. and doctors had warned H3N2 “can kill” because it has mutated to be particularly aggressive. The number of people in hospital in England with flu is more than 50% higher than the figure at this point in 2024, according to the first of this year's NHS winter “situation reports”.

An average of 1,717 flu patients were in beds in England each day last week, including 69 in critical care. This is the highest on record for the time of year.

This is up 56% on the same week in 2024, when the total was 1,098 with 39 in critical care. But it is ten times higher than at this point

See Full Page