Covid-19 hospital admissions in England are continuing to rise, but remain at low levels, as health experts urged eligible people not to delay in getting vaccinated against “winter threats”.
The admission rate for patients testing positive for Covid-19 stood at 4.5 per 100,000 people in the week to October 6, up from 3.7 a week earlier.
It is the fourth weekly rise in a row, according to data published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
A year ago, admissions stood at the higher rate of 6.2 per 100,000 people, before falling in subsequent weeks – then peaking at 5.2 over Christmas.
During the first winter of the pandemic in 2020/21, rates climbed as high at 36.5 per 100,000.
Dr Jamie Lopez Bernal, UKHSA consultant epidemiologist, said: “Covid-19 is continuing to circulate, with a slight increase in hospitalisations over the past two weeks.
“As winter approaches, we expect flu and RSV to increasingly circulate too, so if you’re eligible to get vaccinated against the three main winter threats – Covid-19, flu and RSV – now is the time to take them up and get winter strong.
“We understand people may be concerned about new variants. Our surveillance shows that where Covid cases are sequenced, around one in 10 are the ‘XEC’ lineage.
“Current information doesn’t suggest we should be more concerned about this variant, but we are monitoring this closely.
“The most important thing to do is to get your vaccination as soon as possible if you’re eligible.”
All adults aged 65 and over are able to receive both the latest Covid-19 booster vaccination and this year’s flu jab, along with residents in older adult care homes and people with underlying health conditions aged six months to 64 years.
Both vaccinations are also being offered to frontline health and social care staff, with employees in older adult care homes eligible for the Covid-19 jab.
The hospital admission rate in England for people with flu stood at 0.6 per 100,000 in the most recent week, compared with 0.1 this time last year.
Flu admissions last winter peaked at 7.5 per 100,000 people in late January.
The NHS is also offering for the first time a vaccination against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a common cause of coughs and colds, which can be dangerous to older people and young children.
The jab is available to people aged 75 to 79 as well as pregnant women from 28 weeks, to protect their child.
Dr Conall Watson, of the UKHSA, said: “We are starting to see the expected seasonal rise in RSV, a common lung virus which can cause pneumonia and infant bronchiolitis.
“RSV lung infections like bronchiolitis are a major cause of babies needing to visit A&E or be admitted to hospital each winter.
“The RSV vaccine for pregnant mums is an important step in keeping babies well through winter.
“If your baby has a cold that is getting worse, or it is causing unusual breathing or problems feeding, call NHS 111 or contact your GP practice. As a parent trust your judgement and if your baby seems seriously unwell go to A&E or call 999.”
