NHS points pressing flu vaccination warning as hospitalisations triple and faculties shut amid ‘superflu’ outbreak
Health chiefs have warned people to get their flu jab ‘as soon as possible’ amid a ‘particularly virulent’ superflu, with 10 times more people hospitalised than at the same time two years ago
The NHS has warned people to get their flu jab “as soon as possible” amid a warning over a “particularly virulent flu virus”. With schools shutting and hospitalisations tripling, health bosses have urged people to act – especially with just a couple of weeks to go until Christmas.
The NHS has said it is “bracing for an unprecedented flu wave this winter”, while the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AMRC) says there are currently 10 times more patients in hospital beds with flu than there were at the same time two years ago.
NHS chief executive Sir Jim Mackey believes that by the end of this week, there will be between 5,000 and 8,000 people hospitalised by the flu in the UK – exceeding peaks from previous years, reports the Daily Mail.
The report said hospitalisations in London had tripled, with a daily average of 259 in beds across the capital city last week due to the flu – almost three times the daily average of 89 last year.
Dr Chris Streather, Chief Medical Director for the NHS in London, said: “The NHS has prepared earlier for winter than ever before, but despite this, we know that surging flu cases, coinciding with industrial action by resident doctors, will put pressure on services in the coming weeks.
“While we’ve vaccinated over 1.8 million people this season, there are still vulnerable people who haven’t come forward.
“If you’re in one of the eligible groups and you haven’t had your flu vaccine yet, I urge you to come forward as soon as possible – it’s never too late.”
Schools are closing amid flu outbreaks causing hundreds of pupils off sick at a time, with staff comparing the situation to ‘being back in Covid times’. Some headteachers have even reportedly cut down on singing in assemblies to limit the spread of illness.
One of the worst-hit schools has been St Martin’s in Caerphilly, South Wales, where a temporary closure has been imposed after more than 250 pupils and staff fell ill with the ‘superflu’.
Meanwhile, the AMRC urged junior doctors to ‘abandon guidance’ to not inform their employers if they were striking.
It said this would allow NHS hospitals to find cover during the strikes and at the height of the flu outbreak.
A statement, seen by The Times, said “there is considerable additional pressure being caused by a particularly virulent flu virus taking hold”.
The statement added: “Today, there are ten times more patients in hospital beds with flu than there were at the same time two years ago.
“If managers were told which resident doctors are intending to take action, it would at least allow them to plan safely for emergency cover and perhaps consolidate resources on a regional basis.”
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