Extra NHS walk-in flu clinics are being set up across parts of England as health leaders step up efforts to protect the public amid a sharp rise in hospital admissions linked to influenza.
NHS Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly confirmed that additional flu vaccination clinics will run between 15 and 18 December, as pressure on hospitals intensifies ahead of Christmas.
The move comes after NHS England revealed that an average of 2,660 patients a day were being treated in hospital beds with flu last week. That figure is the highest recorded for this point in the winter and represents a 55% increase on the previous week.
Dr David Strain, associate professor at the University of Exeter Medical School, said this winter’s dominant strain – the H3N2 influenza A virus – has arrived earlier than usual.
He said: “We are very used to dealing with that here in the South West given our population.”
Dr Strain stressed there was “no evidence” the strain was making people more severely ill, but explained that its early arrival was driving the rise in hospital admissions.
The version circulating this winter is known as H3N2 “subclade K”, a seasonal flu variant that differs slightly from strains seen in recent years.
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust has issued what it described as a “last chance call” for eligible people to get vaccinated before the festive period.
Latest figures show the average number of flu patients in hospital across the South West rose from 79 a day in the week ending 30 November to 139 a day in the week ending 7 December.
Dr Strain warned that the phrase “super flu” was fuelling unnecessary alarm.
He said: “It’s just happening a fair bit earlier than it usually does, which means we’re seeing hospitalisations 50% or even twice as high as we normally see them at this time of year.”
He added: “It’s got a little bit of a mutation that makes it different from versions that we may have had recently or may have been exposed to, which means the natural protection you may have had from previous infections isn’t there for this one.
“And that’s why we’re seeing these infections rising slightly quicker.”
Health experts continue to urge those eligible for the NHS flu vaccine to get the jab as soon as possible.
Dr Strain said: “It takes about 10 days to two weeks to get the benefit from the vaccine, so actually the vaccine that you get now will be beneficial when we expect this to start hitting its peak. That will be a real drive of getting its peak down quicker.”
NHS leaders say the expanded clinics are designed to reduce hospital pressure and protect vulnerable groups as flu activity continues to rise across England.
