Skip to content

Hospital flu admissions down by 36% in a week

PA Media Patients and staff pictured in a hospital corridor, with an elderly women in a wheelchair in the foreground PA Media
Public Health Scotland said 1,021 people were taken to hospital with flu last week

Hospital admissions in Scotland caused by flu have fallen by 36% in a week, new figures show.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) data found 1,021 people were taken to hospital with flu in the first week of January, down from 1,596 the week before.

Health Secretary Neil Gray said Scotland's NHS "continues to face significant winter pressures" following a high number of cases over the festive break.

The previous bad flu season in Scotland was the winter of 2022-23, with cases following a similar pattern as this year.

Flu cases in Scotland have fallen while the number of patients in English hospitals continue to rise.

Last week, NHS England numbers averaged 5,407 a day - up from 4,500 the week before.

The latest figures were released alongside a warning that there has been a decline in uptake among people eligible for NHS vaccine in Scotland.

Around two thirds of those classed as being at risk for flu and three quarters of those at risk of Covid are yet to be vaccinated.

PA Media A bald man in a black suit, white shirt and blue stripy tie looks to his left in a close-up shot PA Media
Neil Gray said the Scottish government was in contact with key NHS partners

Dr Sam Ghebrehewet, PHS Head of Vaccination and Immunisation, said: "Uptake is currently lower than it was last winter. Evidence shows that protection from the vaccines fades over time.

"The vaccinations offered this season provide protection against the most likely circulating strains and top up your protection against severe illness."

Groups eligible for a free vaccine include older adults, and people with underlying health conditions or a weakened immune system who are at risk from flu and Covid.

Frontline healthcare workers are eligible for both vaccines, while NHS staff are eligible for the flu vaccine.

The Scottish government said despite the decrease in flu cases, the health and social care system remained under strain.

Health Secretary Neil Gray said: "The Scottish government remains in contact with key partners in the NHS and social care, including through regular meetings being chaired by the first minister.

He added: "The groups eligible for the flu vaccine this winter are more likely to experience serious illness or complications from flu due to older age or underlying health conditions.

"I therefore urge all those who are eligible for vaccinations this winter to come forward as soon as possible to protect themselves."