Anyone with a cold or flu-like symptoms should avoid mixing with the elderly this Christmas, health leaders warn

Anyone suffering from cold or flu-like symptoms should avoid contacting elderly relatives over Christmas, health leaders say.

The warning comes as new figures show more and more hospital patients are having flu and more people in the community are infected with Covid-19.

Around one in 24 people in England and Scotland – 2.5 million in total – are likely to have tested positive for coronavirus by mid-December.

This is more than double the number at the start of the month, when it was one in 50, according to the winter survey of Covid-19 infections.

The virus is estimated to be more common among 18 to 44-year-olds than in older age groups, with London and the South East having the highest regional rates.

Meanwhile, the number of people in hospital with flu in England every day last week increased by almost two-thirds (61 percent) in a week, from 402 to 648, of which 30 were in intensive care.

Norovirus levels are also rising: last week, an average of 566 adult hospital beds were filled by patients with diarrhea and vomiting or norovirus-like symptoms.

This is 12 per cent more than the 506 beds last week and 56 per cent higher than at this stage last year, when the average was 363, NHS England said.

Professor Steven Riley, director general for data and surveillance at the UK Health Security Agency, said: 'At this time of year, the cold weather, shorter days and increased social contact mean that the risk of transmission of respiratory viruses such as Covid-19 increases. 19 is smaller. particularly high.

'This, as well as the potential impact of new variants, means it is not unexpected that the number of cases is increasing.

'If you are showing symptoms of Covid-19 or other respiratory illnesses, you should try to limit your contact with other people as much as possible, especially those who are older or more vulnerable.'

The Covid-19 variant Omicron BA.2.86, first identified in August, is now the dominant variant circulating in England, according to the UKHSA.

One of the subvariants of BA.2.86, called JN.1, was this week classified by the World Health Organization as a separate 'variant of concern' due to its 'rapidly increasing spread' around the world.

However, JN.1 has yet to become widespread enough in Britain for the UKHSA to classify it as a variant here.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, national medical director of NHS England, said the latest figures show that 'winter is well and truly with us'.

He added: 'We expect this to be the most challenging winter yet, with strike action in the mix and high occupancy levels in our hospitals are very worrying as our hardworking staff combine seasonal viruses and strikes in the run-up to Christmas. '