FLU ALERT: Warning as hospital admissions rise again: 50 percent rise as ‘quad-demic’ sweeps Britain

Britain is being hit by a tidal wave of festive flu, health chiefs warned today.

Surveillance programs monitoring the outbreak in Britain indicate that flu hospital admissions in England have already surpassed last year’s peak and are at their highest levels yet this winter.

Figures show that more than 2,500 beds alone have been taken up by flu patients, an increase of almost 50 percent compared to last week (1,800).

Winter vomiting norovirus numbers, meanwhile, are also almost 25 percent higher than expected for this time of year.

Health chiefs fear outbreaks will continue to rise in coming weeks as more people socialize indoors over Christmas and New Year.

They urged people with coughs, sore throats or runny noses to limit contact with vulnerable groups – such as the elderly, pregnant women and people with underlying conditions – out of fear they could become seriously ill from the virus.

It comes as experts have already warned that the healthcare system must brace for a ‘quad-demic’ caused by the four winter diseases – flu, Covid, norovirus and cold-like respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

RSV, which is most common in infants and young children, was 25 percent higher in the week ending December 17 than the year before.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, National Medical Director of the NHS, said: ‘The NHS has been hit hard by an early festive flu season, increasing pressure on staff as they prepare for the long winter ahead.

‘In response to the surge of flu cases so early in the season, the NHS has made it as easy as possible for people to protect themselves with a jab, including vaccination centers in supermarket car parks and football clubs.

‘As children finish school and friends and families gather over the Christmas period, we expect viruses to continue to spread.

‘So if you haven’t yet had your flu jab and are eligible, please come forward, and the public should think twice about seeing loved ones if they are seriously unwell.

‘I would remind anyone requiring medical support to continue to use 999 and A&E in an emergency and for anything else use NHS 111 or 111 online.’

People over 65, people with long-term health problems, pregnant women, care home residents and caregivers are eligible for a free shot.

There are signs that the call for eligible Britons to roll up their sleeves and get their jab has been heard.

NHS England said staff have delivered a total of 28.5 million vaccines since the start of September.

Today is the last day to book winter vaccinations online or via NHS 111 for an appointment at a local vaccination site.

From Friday, Britons can only visit a Covid walk-in vaccination site or visit a pharmacy to get the jab.

Fears of a bad flu year come just days after experts warned this year’s flu vaccine could be 30 percent less effective than hoped.

The flu vaccine is adjusted every year based on data from Southern Hemisphere countries such as Australia and New Zealand, which have their winter season six months before Britain.

This is because the same types of flu that hit these countries typically cause the majority of cases in Britain.

However, sometimes this prediction is wrong.

According to the Office of National Statistics, an inappropriate flu vaccine was responsible for an additional 50,000 deaths in Britain in 2017.

Data shows that the flu shot used in the southern hemisphere, on which the flu shot in Britain is based, could be up to 30 percent less effective than normal.

Experts believe that a successful flu shot will prevent people from needing hospital care for the virus in about seven out of ten cases.

However, data from countries such as Australia and New Zealand show that the latest jab has prevented only 4 in 10 hospital admissions.

Influenza, also known as flu, is responsible for around 40,000 hospital admissions and more than 10,000 deaths each year in Britain, although this can be higher in bad years.

Symptoms typically include fever, sore throat, muscle aches and coughing.