Ten occasions extra individuals are in hospital with flu than this time final yr, newest figures present.
There had been a mean of 344 sufferers a day with flu in hospital final week, in contrast with the 31 seen in the beginning of December final yr, in keeping with information launched by NHS England.
It comes amid pressures on staffing too, with new figures displaying almost 360,000 NHS employees had been absent from work final week by sickness or self-isolating as a result of COVID.
Around 19 in 20 normal and acute beds had been taken up – 80% for grownup important care, NHS England’s first weekly winter replace additionally confirmed.
More than 13,000 (13,179) beds a day had been taken up final week by sufferers who not wanted one – that is up 1 / 4 in comparison with the primary week of December final yr (10,510).
It follows a warning from NHS leaders that it’s dealing with the specter of a “tripledemic” of COVID, flu and report demand on pressing and emergency providers.
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Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS nationwide medical director, mentioned: “The first weekly data this year shows the considerable pressure faced by staff before we enter what is likely to be the NHS’s most challenging winter ever.
“The figures additionally present that flu is sadly already with us and so the considerations that we had about the specter of a ‘tripledemic’ are very actual. It has by no means been extra necessary to get protected towards the viruses forward of winter so please guide in in your jab if you’re eligible if not already carried out so.
“The NHS has extensive plans in place to deal with winter boosting bed capacity – recruiting more call handlers, introducing 24/7 control centres to track and manage demand and new falls services across the country.
“Hospitals proceed to deal with extra sufferers coming in than going out, with hundreds of sufferers day-after-day in hospital which can be medically match for discharge, and so we proceed to work with colleagues in social care to do all the things doable to make sure folks can depart hospital when they’re prepared.”
Source: information.sky.com”