National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports published

Weekly national influenza and COVID-19 report, monitoring coronavirus (COVID-19) activity, seasonal flu and other seasonal respiratory illnesses.

From:

UK Health Security Agency

Latest update

The main points from this week’s national influenza and COVID-19 surveillance report are:

Surveillance indicators suggest that at a national level COVID-19 activity has decreased in some indicators in week 44 of 2021.

Case rates were highest in those aged 10 to 19, with a weekly rate of 561.6 per 100,000 population.

The lowest case rates were in those aged 80 and above, with a weekly rate

of 82.0 per 100,000 population.

Weekly case rates per 100,000 population were highest in the South West at 409.9.

Case rates per 100,000 were lowest in London with a weekly rate of 227.8.

The number of acute respiratory infection incidents (suspected outbreaks) in England was 452 in week 44, compared to 502 in the previous week.

The hospital admission rate for week 44 was 7.44 per 100,000 population, in the previous week it was 8.75 per 100,000 population.

Hospital admission rates for COVID-19 were highest in the North East, with a rate of 11.25 per 100,000 population.

The highest hospital admission rates continue to be those aged 85 and above.

Professor Steven Riley, Director General of Data, Analytics and Surveillance at UKHSA, said:

Rates of COVID-19 remain high across the country, and we all need to play our part to drive down infections, hospitalisations and deaths. Vaccines are the best defence against catching COVID-19 and passing it on – so please come forward if you are eligible for a vaccine or a booster, and take up the jab as soon as you are offered.

The risk of infection increases as winter approaches and people spend more time indoors. Help protect yourself and loved ones by washing your hands regularly and wearing a mask in crowded places. When meeting people inside, open windows and doors to ventilate the room. Testing and self-isolation is still critically important – if you have any COVID-19 symptoms, stay at home and get a PCR test as soon as possible.