UK’s ‘flu epidemic’ not being seen in Guernsey
THE number of flu patients in hospital are as expected in Guernsey, despite an ongoing ‘flu epidemic’ in the UK.
As of Friday, there were fewer than five people with respiratory syncytial virus or flu in Princess Elizabeth Hospital, which is what local health professionals would expect at this time of year.
The NHS issued a pre-Christmas warning reminding Britons to stay away from the elderly if they were experiencing a cough or cold, even if they were testing negative for Covid, as UK hospital admissions for flu reached the highest level in five years.
Although illness has been sweeping the community, the flu trend does not appear to have been reflected in Guernsey.
‘We have 10 patients with a diagnosis of an infection caused by Covid-19 in the PEH – the overwhelming majority of these patients were admitted for a different reason,’ said a spokeswoman for HSC.
‘Cases of Covid-19 continue to increase locally, but surveillance reporting also shows other respiratory diseases are also rising. This includes numbers of RSV and influenza virus infections, as well infections with the virus that causes Covid.’
