In the past week, the number of hospitalized patients increased by two-thirds, putting the National Health Service under great strain.
Health experts have recommended those with coughs and colds avoid visiting elderly relatives to protect them from an increase in winter infections.
The advice from specialists is to stay at home if you are sick.
The advice was given as Britons prepared for the least constrained Christmas since COVID restrictions and subsequent guidance forced some families to be separated.
NHS England data revealed that the number of hospitalized patients increased by two-thirds in a single week, putting the healthcare system under extreme strain.
The United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has encouraged anyone with symptoms to stay at home if they feel poorly and to use a mask in enclosed settings, such as on public transportation or in grocery stores.
Dr. Jamie Lopez Bernal, the consultant epidemiologist for immunization and countermeasures at UKHSA, stated, “If you are ill this winter, please try to stay at home and minimize contact with others, especially the elderly or those who are vulnerable – this will help prevent the spread of infection.”
A “near record” demand for NHS 111 services, attributed in part to parents’ concerns about Strep A, has added to the strains placed on healthcare professionals.
The figures revealed that an average of 1,939 flu patients were hospitalized each day last week, a 67% increase over the previous week’s figure of 1,162.
In contrast, at the end of November, the daily average was 482.
Yesterday, nurses and paramedics announced two additional days of walkouts in January, which hospital administrators described as “aggravating” the difficulty in combating the comeback of infections.
In the week preceding the ambulance workers’ strike, ambulance handover delays reached an all-time high, with one in four patients waiting over an hour to be transferred to A&E teams.
The NHS has a goal of handing over 100 percent of patients within 60 minutes, and 95 percent within the first 30 minutes.
Last week’s calls to NHS 111 were up over 60% compared to the same week in 2021 and increased from 706,301 the week before to 721,301.
The increase in demand is attributed in part to parents’ concerns about Strep A symptoms.
The UK Health and Safety Executive (UKHSA) reported on Tuesday that the incidence of scarlet fever, an infection associated with Strep A, is more than twice as high as previously estimated.
