The UK is being hit by a quartet of viruses crippling hospitals – with one top GP warning that people are facing more severe effects of the winter illnesses.
People are being ‘wiped out’ by both flu and norovirus, both of which could have changed this year to make the illnesses more serious. “We’re seeing a lot of diarrhoea and vomiting, a lot of coughs and colds. And for many illnesses, we’re seeing that a lot of people are really struggling to shake them off, they’ll report feeling unwell for three to four weeks, all over the Christmas period.
“Most of it is viral and people hate hearing that because they want antibiotics to get better soon,” explained Bolton GP Dr Helen Wall.
Right now, the number of people sick in hospital with flu is still spiralling in England, prompting fears for the state of packed hospitals. There were an average of 5,408 flu patients in the nation’s hospitals in the week ending January 5. That’s up from an average of just 4,469 a week earlier.
Dr Helen Wall, a GP partner in Bolton
(Image: Dr Helen Wall)
Staff in Greater Manchester hospitals have spoken out in recent weeks about ‘severe overcrowding’, and severe shortages of beds. In the days before Christmas, high-level health sources told the Manchester Evening News of standing room only in the region’s A&Es, waits of more than 36 hours for a bed, frail patients breaking limbs, and elderly people in their 80s and 90s spending hours lying on trolleys in corridors.
Staff have come forward with stories of ‘extreme overcrowding’, where emergency departments have been filled with as many as 180 people. Data has shown that hundreds of patients in Greater Manchester were stuck in ambulances for more than an hour, waiting to be admitted to scarce hospital beds over Christmas in Greater Manchester. There are also hundreds of patients who are medically well enough to go home, but cannot be discharged because there is no care available for when they leave the ward.
But Dr Wall says: “A&Es are busy, but people [with flu] aren’t being admitted for no reason. These people will be needing oxygen tanks and drips, they’re really ill and need to be there.
“In the first week of December, we saw a 360% rise in hospital admissions for flu compared to last year. That’s a huge increase.”
Why you might be ill right now and what to do about it
“Viruses spread really easily and thrive in the cold weather. Our nasal hairs that normally protect us from taking in viruses get damaged in cold weather,” says Dr Wall.
“But for viruses, it’s all about rest and rehydration. You cannot underestimate the power of being well hydrated when you’ve got a virus.
“It’s not like an infection which attacks one specific body part. Viruses take over your whole body, which is why you have aches and pains, shivers, feel feverish, and will feel generally miserable.
“Simple painkillers are really useful to deal with fever. Plenty of rest will also help you to fight it off.
“The red flags I look for are if you’re not able to breathe properly, or being so dehydrated that you’re not able to pass urine, becoming very confused, collapsing. These are the reasons people are going into hospitals.”
What it’s like to have flu right now
Flu can ‘come on quite strongly’, says Dr Wall. “You’ll be fine one minute and then start feeling feverish even though you’re really warm,” said the doctor.
“Then you might start with a cough, runny nose, feeling congested, tired and achey. People say they’ve had flu but have managed to carry on working or go shopping.
“With real flu, you’re going to end up in bed. You’re not going to be up and about, you’re going to be so tired it’ll be a struggle to get out of bed.
“With Covid, the loss of taste and smell that were big symptoms at the start of the pandemic are becoming more of a feature again. Because many people have had Covid several times, most people with Covid are experiencing it as they’re getting on with life but just have a bit of a cough – they might not even realise. Flu tends to completely wipe you out.
“Flu is changing constantly, it evolves so frequently. Every year we try to match the strains, but we don’t always get it right or get every single strain.
“There’s potential for you to get flu and be really quite unwell.”
What it’s like to have norovirus right now
Meanwhile, norovirus might also have altered into a more sinister version than people know about. “We’ve had an 80% rise in norovirus, and there’s questions over whether that’s because of a new antigen that’s perhaps more easily spread, and leads to more severe disease,” said Dr Wall.
“Anecdotally, norovirus seems to be wiping people out quite significantly. People might expect some vomiting and diarrhoea, and a bug that lasts 24 hours. But what we’re seeing is whole families being wiped out for a good week with dehydration – and some needing hospital for dehydration.”