Health officials on Friday issued a fresh plea for Londoners to get vaccinated ahead of an expected surge of flu, Covid and RSV this winter.
Dr Yvonne Young, London regional deputy director for the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said that hospitalisations for flu and Covid were likely to increase in the coming weeks.
She told the Standard: “As we move into the winter months, we are closely monitoring surveillance data from hospitals and GPs to identify any trends that suggest the usual seasonal viruses are starting to increase.
“Latest data shows that flu is gradually increasing but remains at low levels and Covid continues to circulate at moderate levels. Hospitalisations for flu and Covid are currently low in London but please do get vaccinated if you are eligible as we expect both infections to increase in the coming weeks.”
Figures show that 0.4 flu cases per 100,000 in London resulted in hospitalisation in the week up to October 14, slightly below the national average.
The rate of hospital admission for Covid was 3.5 per 100,000 during the same period, also below the national average.
Dr Young also sounded the alarm over an increase in RSV in children under 5 years of age, with increasing numbers of babies being seen in hospital emergency departments for bronchiolitis.
“I would encourage pregnant women who are 28 or more weeks pregnant to have the RSV vaccine which will pass protection to their babies. Older adults aged 75-79 years are also eligible for the RSV vaccine under the new programme, as the other group most vulnerable to this infection,” she added.
Levels of RSV for adults have slightly increased but remain at low levels, according to the UKHSA.
Norovirus cases are also unseasonably high, the agency said, with the biggest rise in infections seen in adults aged 65 and over. Symptoms include diarrhoea and vomiting.
Separate data from the UKHSA shows that the XEC Covid variant currently accounts for around a fifth of new cases.
Scientists believe the new strain could be more transmissible due to its numerous mutations, but stress that it does not pose a significant threat to public health.
