Healthcare Staff at Hospitals Across the United Kingdom Told to Not Test for COVID-19 as Flu Overwhelms Hospitals!
Medical News: UK Hospitals Buckle Under Historic Flu Surge
Hospitals across the United Kingdom are reeling from an unprecedented wave of influenza hospitalizations this winter, with clinicians warning of record overcrowding, critical pressures on emergency departments and healthcare staff being told to stop testing patients for COVID-19 to keep beds open for the deluge of flu cases. Such advice being encouraged so as to not further overwhelm the stress at hospitals is dangerous as COVId-19 infections will likely spread silently plus they will be no genomic surveillance of what new lineages of SARS-CoV-2 are emerging in the UK.
UK hospitals forced to abandon COVID-19 testing as historic flu surge overwhelms wards and emergency departments
This
Medical News report brings into focus how the mess and crisis has spread through the NHS, compounding existing systemic strain and sparking fears of wider public health impacts as respiratory viruses run rampant.
A mutated strain of influenza A, particularly the H3N2 subclade K commonly dubbed “super flu,” has driven a surge of admissions that officials say are the highest on record for this time of year. Recent NHS England data shows flu hospitalizations spiked by around 55 per cent in just one week, with more than 2,600 patients in hospital daily due to flu-related illness — figures that dwarf last year’s numbers and far exceed levels seen in 2023.
Emergency Departments Overflowing with Patients
Emergency departments have been described as “packed-in-like-sardines,” with patients lining corridors in areas meant for triage and waiting spaces as staff struggle to find available beds. Health professionals report that the pressure is so severe that routine practices such as isolating suspected COVID-19 patients have been shelved; the logic is that identifying COVID-19 infections would require closing beds and activating isolation protocols that the already overwhelmed system cannot afford.
The flu surge has triggered several hospitals to declare critical incidents — a sign that services are under extreme stress and standard operations are no longer sustainable. Some hospital trusts have reinstated mask mandates, added extra beds and even restricted visitors in attempts to curb transmission on site. Meanwhile, healthcare workers themselves are increasingly falling ill with the flu, further diminishing workforce capacity during the busiest season of the year.
Impact on Children and Wider Services
Paediatric units are feeling the strain acutely, with reports of cancelled operations and full intensive care units due to the spike in respiratory illness among children aged 5-14 — the age group with some of the highest flu infection rates. In many regions, children requiring intensive support are being held in general wards longer than usual, making it difficult to move them through the system and free up critical care capacity.
The combined impact of this flu cris
is with delays in discharging patients into social care and an impending strike by resident doctors has exacerbated staffing challenges, pushing NHS capacity to its limits and forcing hospitals to reprioritize care in real time. With peak flu season still ahead and respiratory pressures continuing to rise, the system faces an extremely demanding period.
Hospital Pressures Signal Broader Risks to Public Health
The ongoing surge of flu cases and the deliberate down-prioritization of COVID-19 testing reflect a health system forced to adapt protocols under strain rather than manage all respiratory threats equally. Without robust surveillance of both flu and COVID-19, tracking and containing outbreaks could become more difficult, potentially allowing new variants to spread undetected. If NHS trusts cannot expand capacity, delays and resource shortages may continue to escalate, leading to compromised care for vulnerable patients across the country.
Media References:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/h3n2-superflu-virus-symptoms-nhs-hospitals-children-b2884157.html
https://www.itv.com/news/2025-12-11/nhs-faces-worst-case-scenario-as-flu-admissions-spike-by-55-in-a-week
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1575079380320982
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https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/uk-medical-news
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/influenza-or-flu
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