London: London flu cases have reached their highest peak in a fortnight this winter. NHS leaders warned of “unrelenting” pressure on the health care system after revealing the increase in figures.
According to NHS England data, there were an average of 480 flu patients in hospital beds in the capital in the week ending February 4, an 81 percent increase from two weeks ago. On January 29, a total of 531 patients were admitted to hospital with the flu in London. That’s more than the 500 cases reported on January 13 last year, making it the worst flu season in a decade, health officials said.
Figures suggest that flu cases are increasing later this year than in the typical winter when seasonal viruses generally emerge in late December and into the new year. Taking the flu vaccine also dropped from last season, with more than three-quarters (77.6 percent) of people 65 and older fighting off the virus. Nationally, an average of 2,478 patients were hospitalized with the flu each day last week, an 11.3 percent increase from the previous 2,226.
But COVID cases appear to be falling, with an average of 3,563 people hospitalized with the virus last week, down 11 percent from 3,983 last week and 16 percent from the winter peak of 4,245 in early January. Last year, the number of COVID-19 patients crossed 9,000.
Separate figures show that bed occupancy rates in London hospitals remain very high. On January 29, 95.7 percent of beds were occupied, meaning the capital had less than 600 beds available for patients. Director of policy at the NHS Confederation, Dr. Layla McCay said that rising winter viruses and industrial action by junior doctors had caused “unrelenting” pressure on the NHS.
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