According to data from NHS England, there were 3,746 flu-related hospitalizations every day last week.

The number of influenza cases in hospitals is seven times greater than last month, according to the most recent data.

Last week, according to new data from NHS England, 3,746 patients per day were hospitalized with influenza, up from 520 a month before.

Last week, 267 hospitalized patients were in critical care beds.

The National Health Service has issued a warning that the spike in flu cases continues to strain health systems.

More than nine out of ten bedrooms are currently occupied (over 93%), compared to 86% in the same period the previous year.

The lowest number of available beds since records began in 2012 was seen.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, the national medical director of the NHS, stated, “Unfortunately, the latest flu statistics indicate that our fears of a “twindemic” have been realized, with cases increasing sevenfold in just one month and the continued impact of COVID hitting staff hard, with related absences increasing by almost 50 percent since the end of November.

Additional regions have also been severely affected.

The total number of NHS employees off ill has increased by a fifth since November’s end, from 52,556 to 63,296 per day.

Patients who no longer meet the criteria to reside continue to occupy 12,313 hospital beds every day, and nearly 600,000 calls were made to the 111 services, up by more than two-thirds from 365,334 in the same period last year.

Prof. Powis added, “It is evident that this is no time for complacency, as the risk of serious illness is very real, and with nearly 350,000 available vaccination appointments next week, it is vital that everyone eligible comes forward and receives their COVID and flu vaccinations as soon as possible.”

Last year at this time (26 December 2021), there were only 34 influenza patients hospitalized, two of them were in critical condition.