Cases of influenza and other respiratory conditions such as the common cold often rise in the colder months. The online pharmacy Click Pharmacy has conducted new research using NHS and government sources. The research compares the number of cases of flu across England with the number of cases earlier in the year, as well as investigating the number of eligible people who have taken up the offer of a free flu vaccine.

Jana Abelovska, Superintendent Pharmacist at Click Pharmacy, comments:

“While for most people seasonal flu is an unpleasant condition that can be treated at home, for some people it can be very dangerous. It can make conditions like asthma and heart disease worse. Flu can also put vulnerable people at risk of developing complications like pneumonia, or inflammatory conditions like myocarditis and encephalitis.

“The NHS Seasonal Vaccination Programme makes the flu vaccine available for free to these people who are at additional risk – it was concerning to see that as of 4 November, fewer than a third of adults under 65, pregnant women and toddlers aged 2-3 had been in to get their free vaccine yet. While flu cases look quite low at present according to government and NHS data, we might see cases rise higher in the winter – we would urge everyone who is eligible for a flu jab to make that appointment.”

Flu cases

The research found that 3.3% of flu tests were positive on 10 November 2024. On the same date a year ago, only 1.3% tests came out positive. However, both years show far fewer positive flu tests than 2022, as on the same date that year, 6.8% of all flu tests were positive.

Click Pharmacy also compared positive flu tests by age group over the past four months. Once again using the 10th as the date, the age group showing the highest likelihood of testing positive in November was children aged 5-14, 9.5% of whose tests were positive – over twice as high as the month before. The group second most likely to test positive was teenagers and young people aged 15-24, at 6.3%. In third place, 5.4% of people aged 25-44 tested positive.

The research also looked at the number of people hospitalised with the flu in November using information from the Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) surveillance scheme. In the week ending 4 November 2024, the number of people hospitalised per 100,000 trust catchment population was 1.23. London had the highest number of hospital admissions at 1.8 per 100,000. The region with the lowest number of hospital admissions for flu is the South of England at 0.8 per 100,000.The North of England and the Midlands and East of England have very similar numbers at 1.1 and 1.2 per 100,000 respectively.

Flu vaccines

The flu vaccine is available for free to people who the NHS considers to be the most vulnerable. Click Pharmacy used NHS data to investigate how many people received the free flu vaccine on the Seasonal Vaccination Programme this year since September. As of 12 November, the figure was 14,253,063.

The region that has received the highest number of flu vaccines through the NHS Seasonal Vaccination Programme is the Midlands, where 2,733,620 people have been vaccinated. The South East had received the second highest number of flu vaccines at 2,460,425, and the North East and Yorkshire was in third place, at 2,311,060.

The data also compared the numbers of people who had received a free vaccine in the following three categories. Those aged over 65 had received the highest number of flu vaccines at 7,764,619, followed by children aged 2-3 at 4,31,892. School aged children from reception to Year 11 received 2,094,967 vaccinations.

The research also found that as of 4 November, 66.6% of those aged 65 and over had received their flu vaccine. However, in other eligible groups the uptake was lower, with 28.7% of pregnant women, 31.5% of eligible adults under 65 and 25.4% of toddlers aged 2-3 attending an appointment to receive their free vaccine.

The flu vaccine is available for free to people who belong to certain categories, including the age groups and categories mentioned above; frontline health and social care workers; and people with conditions including diabetes, asthma, kidney disease, or a lowered immune system. However, many high street pharmacies also make the vaccine available for everyone else too, as a paid for service.