England is facing an “unprecedented flu wave,” with the NHS warning that up to 8000 hospital beds could be occupied by patients with flu by the end of next week.An average of 1717 patients were in hospital with flu in the last week of November, NHS England data show,1 a record high for this time of year.With 2% of hospital beds in England now occupied by flu patients, NHS England is warning that bed occupancy for flu is already more than 50% higher than the same time last year and 10 times higher than in 2023.“Today’s numbers confirm our deepest concerns: the health service is bracing for an unprecedented flu wave this year,” Julian Redhead, the national medical director for urgent and emergency care, warned on 4 December.“Cases are incredibly high for this time of year and there is no pea

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