NHS warn of 'skyrocketing' flu cases as hospitalisations quadruple in a month
The NHS is warning of 'skyrocketing' flu cases, as ITV News' Amy Lewis reports
The number of patients in hospitals in England with flu has quadrupled in the last month, the NHS has said.
NHS England data shows an average of 4,469 flu patients were in beds in England each day last week, compared to just under 1,100 on December 1.
The number of people in critical care for flu is also rising, up 17% last week compared to the week before. Experts say the rise is "very concerning."
When compared with last winter, the average number of flu patients in hospital in England each day last week is up sharply on the equivalent week last year when the average was 1,312.
However, it is lower than this point two years ago, when the figure stood at 5,441.
Subscribe free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning.
Sophie Schofield, a 43-year-old mum from Leeds, was hospitalised with the flu on New Years Day.
As a renal transplant patient with suppressed immune system, Sophie is unable to take the flu jab.
So it is not uncommon for Sophie to go to hospital with the winter flu, though this year's illness feels "particularly bad", she said.
Speaking from her hospital bed, she told ITV News: "I was really looking forward to celebrating Christmas with the family... but I fell sick on Christmas Eve.
"Christmas Day, I really don't remember much of. I felt like I had the worst hangover in the world and I just felt absolutely dreadful."
Schofield, who said the A&E ward seemed fuller than usual, has had to be put on a course of antibiotics and expects to be in hospital until next week.
Sophie Schofield had to be admitted to hospital in Leeds after contracting the flu
Natalie Rout, a GP at the Gray's Inn Medical Group in Hampstead, London, told ITV News that flu can "knock you out."
"Every day, I am seeing a handful of patients in each clinic that are suffering with flu-like symptoms and really severe, lingering symptoms for longer than usual.
"This season does seem to have a huge increase in flu in particular...I would say the majority of my consultations today have been around flu-like symptoms."
Meanwhile, the number of hospital beds in England filled by patients with norovirus-like symptoms was an average of 538 per day last week - down slightly from the week before, but much higher than the average from this time last year, which was 377.
The average number of children with RSV and beds occupied by Covid patients last week is also slightly down on the week before.
It comes after the NHS warned it is "busier than ever before" this winter, warning of a "quad-demic" situation involving four of the most common winter viruses - influenza virus, RSV, coronavirus and norovirus.
On Friday, NHS bosses in Cornwall declared a critical incident after a week of sustained pressure on the main hospital and emergency department.
Those who are eligible, and NHS staff, are being urged to get vaccinations without delay as virus levels rise and pressure remains on the country's hospitals.
The data for England further shows that around 32% of patients arriving by ambulance at hospitals in England last week waited at least 30 minutes to be handed over to A&E teams.
This is down from about 37% in the previous week, but higher than the equivalent week last winter, when the proportion stood at 28.9%.
Some 12,229 patients, were delayed by more than an hour, down from 16.3% the previous week but higher than this point a year ago (11.7%).
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know