Nearly 600 patients are in Welsh hospitals with flu – with almost 40 in critical care. Wales – like the rest of the UK – has seen a surge in influenza numbers in recent weeks.
It is normal to see a spike in the winter months but rates are running particularly high. Over the border in England the NHS medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis warned the winter flu season was “potentially on track to be one of the worst we have ever seen”.
The latest figures in Wales up to December 29 show 574 patients in hospital with influenza. Of these, 38 were in critical care.
This compares to 183 patients and eight in critical care on December 1. Across in England there are around 5,000 patients in hospital with flu.
Public Health Wales director Dr Giri Shankar told the BBC that fewer elderly people and healthcare workers have had the flu vaccine compared with this time last year. He said that numbers were expected to rise further and “rates are on the higher side compared to the similar period last year”.
“We are obviously concerned about the rising numbers of influenza cases,” he added.
He said flu vaccination uptake amongst people over the age of 65 is between 65% and 70% across various health boards of Wales – compared to 73% last year. For healthcare workers it was 27%, compared to 33% last year.
Dr Shankar added: “Therefore we would like to see those individuals protected. Vaccination is the single most important intervention that can protect people, individuals, families, and communities.”
This comes as norovirus cases also increase in Wales. Norovirus cases in Wales rose by 26 per cent in the week leading up to December 22, from 39 to 49 cases the previous week. Between September 30 and December 22, cases were 42 per cent higher than the same period last year.
In England, NHS national medical director, Professor Sir Stephen Powis, said: “The winter flu season has not only hit the NHS early this year, but it is potentially on track to be one of the worst we have ever seen, as the ‘quad-demic’ continues to increase pressure across services. Frontline NHS staff are currently under significant pressure – and as families and friends have gathered over the festive period and to celebrate the new year, we expect the peak of seasonal viruses is yet to come.”
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