Official Statistics

Changes to reporting over winter period 2024 (starting from the week 41 report)

Updated 17 October 2024

Applies to England

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-reports-2024-to-2025-season/changes-to-reporting-over-winter-period-2024-starting-from-the-week-41-report

As we move into the winter reporting period, these statistics are now updated weekly since respiratory virus activity is typically higher during the winter season. This report has also been extended to enable more granular surveillance of influenza, COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses through the winter to better support clinical and public health decision-making. In summary, this reporting will include more detail on:

  • hospital, intensive care unit (ICU) and high dependency unit (HDU) admission rates
  • emergency department (ED) attendances
  • Google search trends for influenza symptoms
  • acute respiratory infection (ARI) incidents
  • influenza: virus characterisation and antiviral susceptibility
  • flu and COVID-19 vaccine uptake

Summary of changes to the main report

Executive summary

The executive summary now includes tables summarising activity for key indicators (trend, level of activity, and comments) for influenza, COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and other viruses.

Laboratory surveillance

Laboratory confirmed cases

The report now includes previously unpublished influenza testing data from the second generation surveillance system, reporting tests from most laboratories in England.

Added:

  • Figure 1. Total daily COVID-19 cases and percentage of tests positive for SARS-CoV-2 among all reported SARS-Cov-2 tests, England
  • Figure 2. Percentage of tests positive for SARS-CoV-2 among all reported SARS-CoV-2 tests by age group, England
  • Figure 3. Percentage of tests positive for influenza among all reported influenza tests, England
  • Figure 4. Percentage of tests positive for influenza among all reported influenza tests by age group, England

Respiratory DataMart System

Kept:

  • Figure 5a. Respiratory DataMart weekly percentage of tests positive for influenza, SARS-CoV-2, RSV and rhinovirus, England
  • Figure 5b. Respiratory DataMart weekly percentage of tests positive for adenovirus, hMPV and parainfluenza, England

Added:

  • Figure 6. Respiratory DataMart weekly cases by influenza subtype, England
  • Figure 7. Respiratory DataMart weekly percentage testing positive for RSV by season, England
  • Figure 8. Respiratory DataMart weekly percentage testing positive for RSV by age, England

Microbiological surveillance 

SARS-CoV-2 lineages

Added:

  • Figure 9. Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 variants amongst available sequences episodes for England from [week number] up to [week number]

Influenza virus characterisation

This section will be added from the week 42 report, published on 17 October 2024.

  • Table 1. Number of influenza viruses characterised by genetic and antigenic analysis at the UKHSA Respiratory Virus Unit since 30 September 2024

Influenza antiviral susceptibility

This section will be added from the week 42 report, published on 17 October 2024.

  • Table 2. Number of influenza viruses tested for inhibition by Oseltamivir and Zanamivir
  • Table 3. Number of influenza viruses tested for inhibition by Baloxavir and Marboxil

Community surveillance

Acute respiratory infection incidents

Added:

  • Figure 10. Number of ARI incidents by setting, England
  • Figure 11. Number of ARI incidents in all settings by virus type, England

FluSurvey

This section will be added in the week 45 report, published on 7 November 2024

Flu Detector

Added:

  • Figure 12. Daily estimated ILI Google search query rates per 100,000 population, England

Syndromic surveillance

Added:

  • Figure 13a. Daily emergency department attendances for acute respiratory infection nationally, England
  • Figure 13b. Daily emergency department attendances for acute respiratory infection by age group, England
  • Figure 14a. Daily emergency department attendances for COVID-19-like illness nationally, England
  • Figure 14b. Daily emergency department attendances for COVID-19-like illness by age group, England
  • Figure 15a. Daily emergency department attendances for ILI nationally, England
  • Figure 15b. Daily emergency department attendances for ILI by age group, England
  • Figure 16a. Daily emergency department attendances for acute bronchiolitis nationally, England
  • Figure 16b. Daily emergency department attendances for acute bronchiolitis by age group, England

Primary care surveillance

Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP)

Kept:

  • Figure 18. Number of samples tested for respiratory viruses in England by week, GP sentinel swabbing scheme

Added:

  • Figure 17. RCGP ILI consultation rates per 100,000, all ages, England
  • Figure 19. Percentage of detection of respiratory virus among all samples with completed testing in England by week, GP sentinel swabbing scheme
  • Figure 20. Percentage of detected respiratory viruses among all samples with completed testing in England by age group, GP sentinel swabbing scheme,
  • Figure 21. Weekly positivity for SARS-CoV-2, influenza and RSV in England, GP sentinel swabbing scheme

Secondary care surveillance

This section has been restructured in the winter version of the report.

Summer surveillance includes:

  • COVID 19 Hospitalisations, Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) Watch
  • COVID 19 ICU and HDU admissions, SARI Watch
  • Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), SARI Watch

Winter surveillance includes:

  • Influenza, SARI Watch
  • ECMO, SARI Watch
  • RSV admissions, SARI Watch

COVID-19, SARI Watch

Kept:

  • Figure 22. Weekly overall COVID-19 hospital admission rates per 100,000 trust catchment population reported through SARI Watch mandatory surveillance, England
  • Figure 24. Weekly overall COVID-19 ICU or HDU admission rates per 100,000 trust catchment population reported through SARI Watch mandatory surveillance, England

Added:

  • Figure 23. Weekly hospital admission rate by age group for new COVID-19 positive cases reported through SARI Watch mandatory surveillance, England
  • Figure 25. Weekly ICU or HDU admission rate by age group for new COVID-19 positive cases reported through SARI Watch mandatory surveillance, England

Influenza, SARI Watch

Added:

  • Figure 26. Weekly overall influenza hospital admission rates per 100,000 trust catchment population with MEM thresholds, reported through SARI Watch sentinel surveillance, England
  • Figure 27. Weekly influenza hospital admissions by influenza type, reported through SARI Watch sentinel surveillance, England
  • Figure 28. Weekly hospital admission rate by age group for new influenza reported through SARI Watch sentinel surveillance, England
  • Figure 29. Weekly overall influenza ICU or HDU admission rates per 100,000 trust catchment population with MEM thresholds, reported through SARI Watch mandatory surveillance, England
  • Figure 30. Weekly influenza ICU or HDU admissions by influenza type, reported through SARI Watch mandatory surveillance, England
  • Figure 31. Weekly ICU or HDU admission rate by age group for new influenza cases, reported through SARI Watch mandatory surveillance, England

RSV admissions, SARI Watch

Added:

  • Figure 32. Weekly hospital admission rates (excluding ICU or HDU) of RSV positive cases per 100,000 population reported through SARI Watch sentinel surveillance, England
  • Figure 33. Weekly hospital admission rates (excluding ICU or HDU) of RSV positive cases per 100,000 population in those aged under 5 years and aged over 75 years reported through SARI Watch sentinel surveillance, England
  • Figure 34. Weekly count of hospital admissions of RSV positive cases reported through SARI Watch sentinel surveillance by level of care, England
  • Figure 35. Weekly hospital admission rates (excluding ICU or HDU) by age group for RSV cases reported through SARI Watch sentinel surveillance, England

ECMO, SARI Watch

Added:

Figure 36. Laboratory-confirmed ECMO admissions in adults (COVID-19, influenza and non-COVID-19 confirmed) to Severe Respiratory Failure centres in the UK

Vaccine coverage

COVID-19 vaccine uptake in England

This system will start reporting in the week 42 report.

Added:

  • Figure 37. Cumulative weekly COVID-19 vaccine uptake in those who are living and resident in England vaccinated with a Spring 2023 booster since 3 April 2023

Influenza vaccine uptake in GP patients

Added:

  • Figure 38. Cumulative weekly influenza vaccine uptake by target group in England
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