Hundreds of people have been admitted to Welsh hospitals with flu as the infection spreads across the country. A Public Health Wales report for the first week of 2025, ending January 5, states that flu season is “approaching peak levels”.
The agency describes influenza activity as being at “medium levels” but “increasing”. Some 281 patients were hospitalised with flu in the seven days period Wales’ total number of hospital inpatients with flu during that week was 628, and 45 of those were in critical care. That meant a rise from the previous week when 574 patients were in hospital with flu and 38 of them were in critical care.
Public Health Wales also reports 60 hospital admissions for RSV — respiratory syncytial virus, a common cause of coughs and colds — during the week, along with 33 admissions for Covid-19. Of the total 164 people in hospital for RSV, five were in critical care, and of the 176 in hospital for Covid-19, one was in critical care.
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The report continued: “The RSV season has peaked and is now decreasing, with activity in children now at medium intensity.” It added that Covid-19 levels were “broadly stable and at lower levels than previously”.
The weekly GP consultation rate for flu in Wales was up from 30 to 36.2 consultations per 100,000 people. Public Health Wales analysed 554 samples from patients with flu-like symptoms, of which 193 tested positive for influenza A, 49 for rhinovirus, 43 for human metapneumovirus, 33 for RSV, 17 for parainfluenza, 17 for seasonal coronaviruses, 11 for adenovirus, nine for influenza B, nine for enterovirus, seven for C pneumoniae, six for Covid-19, two for mycoplasma and two for bocavirus.
In its ‘headline’ summary of the report, Public Health Wales said: “Influenza is circulating with activity now at ‘medium’ intensity levels. Case numbers continue to increase as expected for this point in the flu season. Influenza A (H1N1) is currently being detected in the highest numbers. Influenza A (H3N2) cases are also being confirmed at lower levels, with fewer cases of influenza B cases being seen.
“RSV is circulating, activity has decreased in the most recent week and is at medium intensity levels. Covid-19 case numbers have remained stable in recent weeks.”
Earlier this week the BBC reported that the Welsh Ambulance Service had been overwhelmed over Christmas due to the number of flu and respiratory illness cases. The service declared a critical incident last week following a backlog of hundreds of 999 calls. Health secretary Jeremy Miles said that, despite “significant planning”, there had been higher flu levels than expected.