Experts have warned of the dangers of a "twindemic" this winter, with the combined effects of Covid and flu putting the NHS under severe pressure. The Daily Mirror reports a worse flu season is expected this year, which could combine with Covid to create a double whammy for hospitals.
With Covid numbers on the rise again, Dr Simon Clarke, associate professor in cellular microbiology at Reading University, said: “We’ve never had a (flu and Covid) dual outbreak so I’m concerned this UK season could be particularly bad. Catching flu and Covid together is particularly dangerous. We have the NHS under huge pressure as it catches up (from the pandemic) so you have a problem there.”
Data from the Southern Hemisphere suggests a swelling of flu cases two months earlier than usual, driven by people aged below 30. It indicates that hospital admissions in Britain - which usually hospitalised between 15,000 and 30,000 - could begin to surge next month.
The figures would include many children. One estimate forecasts a flu season twice the size of what is typically experienced.
Sir Peter Horby, professor of emerging infectious diseases at Oxford University, said: “(It) could come earlier and bigger, then you have a ‘twindemic’ with Covid-19 and that could put real pressure on the NHS.”
The NHS waiting list in England has reached a record 6.8 million. A&Es are regularly packed with ambulances containing patients who cannot be unloaded commonly queued up outside.
Covid cases are 20% higher than two weeks ago, with one in 42 people currently being infected, latest figures suggest.
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