British people asked to wear a mask

London – The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has urged British citizens to "mask up" as people socialising over the festive season has driven a deadly virus to “sharply increase”.

 According to the latest UK government figures there has been an uptick of patients admitted to hospital with Covid-19, with a 32.4%.

Dr Jamie Lopez-Bernal, Consultant Epidemiologist at UKHSA, said: “If you have any cold or flu-like symptoms you should try to minimise contact with others. There are simple steps we can all take to protect one another when mixing indoors. Washing hands regularly and ensuring indoor spaces are well ventilated helps and we advise those who have symptoms and need to go out, to consider wearing a face covering in indoor public spaces. These simple measures can help make a difference to reduce the spread.”

Lopez-Bernal added: “Flu is always unpredictable, is still circulating and could bounce back even further in the new year as we have seen in past years. For anyone eligible who is still not vaccinated, it’s not too late to get protected for the rest of the winter, but time is running out.

“Nobody wants to start the new year with flu so if appointments are still available near you, please make an appointment as soon as you can as vaccination can make all the difference in preventing severe illness and hospitalisation.”

Earlier this month health officials warned hospitals were "nowhere near out of the woods yet" as flu cases continue at record highs for this time of year.

Data from the NHS showed the number of people hospitalised in England with flu keeps climbing and stays at a record level for this time of year, though the pace of increase has eased.

An average of 3,140 flu patients were receiving hospital treatment each day last week, representing an 18% jump from 2,660 the week before.

At the same point last year, the figure stood at 2,629 patients whilst in 2023 it was merely 648.