Half of NHS trusts are battling their worst flu outbreaks on record, the Daily Mail can today reveal as the 'superflu' crisis rages.
Creaking under the strain of an unprecedented 'tidal wave' that hit weeks earlier than expected, ailing hospitals have been plunged into their 'worst-case scenario'.
Flu admissions have quadrupled in a week in parts of the country hit hardest.
Nationwide, the number of flu-infected patients in hospital has snowballed 55% over the same timeframe. More than 2,700 are now getting treated on wards – enough to fill three entire hospital trusts.
And officials warn even worse is to come, with no signs that the wave – driven by a heavily mutated strain of influenza and damp weather, offering 'perfect' spreading conditions – is anywhere close to peaking. One expert told the Daily Mail that there could be a 'colossal' peak at the end of January.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who publicly admitted he was 'extremely worried' by the mayhem unfolding in hospitals, said the number of patients in hospital could triple before the outbreak fizzles out.
He has begged doctors to abandon next week's strikes, saying the 'double whammy' could 'be the Jenga piece that collapses the tower'.
Daily Mail analysis show that levels of flu are higher than ever for this time of year at 70 out of 134 trusts – the parent body of neighbouring hospitals.
Since 2021, NHS chiefs have tracked flu outbreaks each winter, monitoring how many hospital beds are occupied by patients infected with flu.
Not all patients are tested, however.
University Hospitals Birmingham, England's worst-affected trust, had 254 beds taken up by flu patients as of December 7, according to the NHS SitRep data.
In seven NHS trusts, hospitalisations at least quadrupled on the previous week.
As a proportion of beds, Whittington Health Trust had the highest number, with about 10% of ward beds occupied by flu patients.
In scenes reminiscent of Covid, some hospitals have reintroduced masking rules for staff, patients and visitors to thwart flu's spread.
Schools fighting flu outbreaks have shut and pivoted back to pandemic-era 'learning from home'.
Meanwhile, health leaders have urged anyone with the sniffles to stay home and skip Christmas parties, while MPs have called for an emergency vaccination drive.
Dr Suzanna McDonald, national lead for the flu programme at the UK Health Security Agency, this week said 'the first thing you should do to limit the spread of infection is stay at home', adding: 'In particular, you need to avoid mixing with anyone who might be more vulnerable if they were to catch flu.'
Meanwhile, Dr Chris Streather, London's NHS medical director, said: 'We definitely don’t want to be Scrooge-like about this but if people have symptoms, sore throat, cough, runny noses, they should avoid large social gatherings.
'I absolutely would not say don’t socialise at Christmas but I would say don’t socialise if you have symptoms.'
Officials have repeatedly urged people to come forwards for a flu vaccine, arguing it is the most effective weapon for reducing the risk of serious illness.
Professor Paul Hunter, a virologist at the University of East Anglia, told the Mail: 'We are still quite a way behind last winter but both of those [outbreaks] peaked around late December, early January.
'What matters is the size of the peak, clearly we don’t know how high the current peak will go.
'It is plausible that it peaks this week – but it might continue to rise and we’ll have a colossal peak at the end of January.'
Professor Hunter, a prominent voice during Covid, added: 'It will get worse before it gets better but we don’t know how bad it will get.'
'If you've got the flu, you should really stay at home, that’s a lot more effective than wearing masks.
'Employees and employers should recognise that. Masks have value but they’re not the golden bullet.'
Writing in The Times, Mr Streeting said that he fears that if resident doctor strikes go ahead as planned next week, the NHS will collapse due to the pressure the virus has placed on hospitals and frontline medical staff.
He said: 'Last week an average of 2,660 hospital beds each day were occupied by flu patients, up more than 42 per cent from the same week last year.
'The trend is set to continue and the numbers could triple by the peak of the pressures – and the NHS doesn’t know when the peak will hit.'
Emergency departments across the country are already at capacity, turning patients away from swamped hospitals.
Fifty-seven ambulance arrivals were diverted to neighbouring hospitals last week – the highest figure ever recorded.
Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS national medical director, said: 'With record demand for A&E and ambulances and an impending resident doctors strike, this unprecedented wave of super flu is leaving the NHS facing a worst-case scenario for this time of year – with staff being pushed to the limit to keep providing the best possible care for patients.
'The number of patients in hospital with flu is extremely high for this time of year.
'Even worse, it continues to rise and the peak is not in sight yet, so the NHS faces an extremely challenging few weeks ahead.'
The major difference between this year's flu season and previous is that the mutant H3N2 strain started spreading as early as October this year.
Flu and colds are both on the rise, but the H3N2 flu strain is believed to be behind the spike in cases, because there is less 'natural immunity in the community' against it, according to the UK Health Security Agency.
Flu symptoms develop one to three days after becoming infected.
While most cases of flu are over within a week, people can still feel exhausted and suffer from a lingering cough for weeks afterwards.
Alongside getting vaccinated, health officials say regular hand washing, socialising in well ventilated spaces and sometimes wearing a mask are key to stopping the virus from spreading.
People with the flu can also spread it to others as far as six feet away, via droplets which enter the air when they cough, sneeze or talk.
These droplets land in the mouths or noses of others nearby or are inhaled directly into the lungs.
