Excess deaths associated with flu highest in 5 years

New interim analysis from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) indicates that excess deaths in England associated with flu infection were higher (14,500) than the average figure (13,500) for the 5 years before the pandemic.

This is the highest figure since the 2017 to 2018 season, when there were 22,500 excess deaths associated with flu.

The report also shows that the season started relatively early in the winter, but peaked quickly. Hospitalisations across all ages were higher than average, although some of this may be attributed to increased testing by the NHS compared to previous winters.