COVID-19, COVID Inquiry, Meningitis, Measles and Other Health and Virus UK and World News Update 20th March 2025

COVID-19, COVID Inquiry, Meningitis, Measles and Other Health and Virus UK and World News Update 20th March 2025

8th March was the UK's National COVID-19 Day of Reflection

As per latest data on the day, up to 20th February 2026, the UK had officially lost 232,489 people to COVID. They all had friends, relatives, carers, neighbours. People who will miss them.

In early 2021 the UK lost up to 8,000 people to COVID a week. That figure has come down and continues to drop, and COVID testing is not what it once was, but even now we officially lose around 40-150 people every week to COVID. I am sorry to everyone who has lost someone. 

Shall we start with the obvious? There has been an outbreak of Meningitis B centred around a nightclub event mainly attended by students from University of Kent and local sixth forms in Canterbury, UK. This has now been declared a 'national emergency' and an 'urgent public health alert' has been issued, asking doctors to be on the lookout for symptoms.  

As of 12.30pm yesterday there are a total of 29 known cases (18 confirmed, 11 suspected). 2 young people have died. One was a University of Kent student and the other a year 13 secondary school pupil. At least 4 schools have confirmed cases, as does Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU). At least 11 of the patients attended Chemistry Nightclub over the weekend of 5th, 6th, 7th March. 

Several thousand contacts have already been given antibiotics as a precaution. All contacts (including club-goers, 6th form pupils, uni students) are also being offered a Meningitis B vaccination, including around 5,000 students who live in Kent University halls of residence.

COVID-19, Measles, HPAI H5N1 Avian Flu, Vaccinations and Other UK and World Virus and Health News Update 6th March 2026

COVID-19, Measles, HPAI H5N1 Avian Flu, Vaccinations and Other UK and World Virus and Health News Update 6th March 2026

Finally Norovirus in the UK is beginning to drop. This will no doubt be especially good news to anyone who has managed to catch it 2 or 3 times. Flu and RSV are at baseline levels, as is COVID, which is dropping fast. Children have had a disproportionately high number of recent COVID hospitalisations. I'm not entirely sure what happened there, but glad to see it correcting itself.

COVID-19, Long COVID, Measles, H5N1 Avian Flu, Vaccinations and Other Virus and Health UK and World News Update 20th February 2026

COVID-19, Measles, H5N1 Avian Flu, Vaccinations and Other Virus and Health UK and World News Update 20th February 2026

The COVID, flu and RSV Winter season appears to be over, low figures in the UK (and dropping in the US) ... ahhhh. Norovirus activity remains high but has stabilised. Total UK norovirus reports "between weeks 5 and 6 of 2026 were 45.9% higher than the 5-season average for the same 2-week period". Yowch. Wash your hands regularly people. 

COVID-19, Coronavirus, H5N1 Avian Flu, Measles, Vaccination and Other Virus and Health UK and World News Update 6th February 2026

COVID-19, Coronavirus, H5N1 Avian Flu, Measles, Vaccination and Other Virus and Health UK and World News Update 6th February 2026

On 30th January it was 6 years since WHO declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

What a rollercoaster it's been. 

Good news from UK viruswatch. Flu, COVID and RSV are all at low levels. 

There always has to be one that ruins it, and Norovirus is still at high levels, especially among people aged 65 and over.

COVID-19, Flu, HPAI H5N1 Avian Flu, Measles, Norovirus, Vaccinations and Other Virus and Health UK and World News Update 23rd January 2026

COVID-19, Flu, HPAI H5N1 Avian Flu, Measles, Norovirus, Vaccinations and Other Virus and Health UK and World News Update 23rd January 2026

Good news to start with, flu levels in the UK are still dropping, so while there is still pressure on some hospitals, it could be far worse, and still no sign of that supermegacatastrophicflu the media said we'd be expecting. England had an average 2,519 patients in hospital with flu each day last week, compared to 2,725 the week before (it was 3,833 for the same week last year). COVID continues to circulate at baseline levels and RSV activity decreased slightly, also circulating at low levels. 

It's not all fabulous news. Oh Norovirus, how we love you... Sadly Norovirus is having a party. 3 weeks ago England had an average 361 Norovirus hospital in-patients each day, 2 weeks ago it was around 600, and last week it was almost 1,000.

Some areas aren't really suffering, while others have heck of a lot of cases. Worst affected areas include Hull, Hampshire, Somerset, the Wirral, Bolton, Bristol, Sussex, York.

COVID-19, Flu, H5N1 Avian Flu, Measles, Vaccinations and other Virus and Health UK and World News Update 9th January 2025

COVID-19, Flu, H5N1 Avian Flu, Measles, Vaccinations and other Virus and Health UK and World News Update 9th January 2025

Hello, I'm back! Happy New Year! I hope your festivities were good ones, ours were great. We got to spend time with 5 of our 6 kids, plus the Grandparents, which was a treat indeed. It's been 4 weeks since the last update and thankfully it's been fairly quiet, but I shall start with something very much personal...

A few days after my last post, my strong, fit and healthy 15 year old became suddenly very unwell. We had swift advice from our GP, a visit to Stranraer A&E, a 90 mile blue light ambulance trip to Glasgow Children's Hospital, a night in the Paediatric ICU and a 2 day stay in the cardiac ward. We also got a diagnosis of a congenital heart condition which we were completely unaware of before, and my son home and safe. 

What was a terrifying experience was made so much easier by every single NHS and hospital employee we encountered. They were amazing. We were all treated with great care, nothing was an inconvenience. Everything was clearly explained and my son was remarkably calm the whole time, even when in a lot of pain and when told his sensible next step is heart surgery. If I live to be 100, I could not thank you all enough.

On my partner's 2 hour drive back from bringing toothbrushes and clean clothes up to Glasgow our car broke, so I also have gratitude to the garage, who fit in a repair 3 days before Christmas. 

So this is me, repeating my heartfelt (and in honesty teary) thanks to ALL of the vital essential workers who keep our loved ones alive and our world turning, often on low wages and with long unsocial hours, and over Christmas and other holidays. You are seen, and you really are valued. Thank you all of you. 

I also want to once again reiterate just how valuable our NHS is.

In the US I wouldn't just have my son's health to worry about, the ambulance alone could have cost us over £10,000, on top of insurance. At one point, at 11pm at night, my son had 5 consultants, 2 doctors and 2 nurses attending to him. He got the very, very best of care, and he is home and well. 

I say it at the end of every single post. Save The NHS.

COVID-19, Flu, RSV, Norovirus, H5N1 Avian Flu and Other Virus and Health UK and World News Update 12th December 2025

COVID-19, Flu, RSV, Norovirus, H5N1 Avian Flu and Other Virus and Health UK and World News Update 12th December 2025

Shall we start with the huge elephant sitting in the centre of the room? My genuine commiserations to anyone who has flu right now... 

By crikey UK flu is making the news worldwide. It's not good, but ignore anything with three exclamation marks!!! and sit yourself down (preferably beside an open window)...

Better than the headlines suggest:

- Some schools are closed to create a firebreak and stem transmissions, and in some cases for a deep clean. This happens, it just doesn’t often make the national news.

- The rates in England at 1,717 patients in a hospital bed each day 2 weeks ago (including 69 in critical care) are a massive 7 times as high as the same point in 2023 (average 243 flu patients a day), but actually only 1.6 times as high as the same week last year (2024 average 1,098 and 39 in critical care). It's bad, but 2023 was a low year, so not a fair comparison. 

- Flu arrived early, and although it's at record-breaking and eye-watering levels FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR, with doubling and tripling of hospitalisations week on week, so far it's actually tracking a pretty normal pattern (albeit a month early). Even the UK HSA bulletin says "medium levels". Obviously medical bosses try to plan ahead, so staffing levels and 'free' beds, planned procedures, etc are out of sync, causing extra pressure. 

- As I've previously reported, the human Flu A(H3N2) which we were expecting has mutated or 'drifted' into 'Variant K', which is likely to creep past existing immunity for more people, and means our vaccination isn’t a perfect match. An 'H3N2 year' does tend to create more cases and we've not had one for a couple of years, so immunity is waning a bit, but it is NOT a new flu. 

- We could see more people ill and therefore more people hospitalised, but all evidence suggests Variant K A(H3N2) is NOT more severe or more deadly. Folk aren't dropping like flies, this is NOT an horrendously deadly new superflu.

Honest headlines:

- Australia and some Asian countries had a very long flu season, so while hospitals were not necessarily overwhelmed, numbers for the whole season were much higher (2 weeks ago Australia were still recording confirmed cases, with 441,000 at that point, compared to 363,000 in 2024 and 289,000 in 2023). The long season could be partly because Variant K arrived and kept it going for longer, maybe...

- We are still seeing large number of schoolchildren with flu in the UK, while infections are spreading through older populations, so our 'wave' could be moving more slowly, but only time will answer that. 

- On Tuesday Royal Stoke University Hospital and County Hospital in Stafford declared critical incidents due to sustained high demand, including flu patients. 

On Wednesday a critical incident was declared at 4 more West Midlands hospitals - Good Hope, Heartlands and Queen Elizabeth hospitals in Birmingham, and Solihull Hospital - due to "exceptional" numbers of flu patients.

This is not new. It's demoralising and it's not good, but it’s not unusual when flu levels are high. 

- Latest figures for flu patients in hospital, hospital visits, ambulance requests, GP visits, flu tests are all somewhat obviously, and somewhat normally, soaring. Last week an average 2,660 people were in hospital with flu in England alone every day. Public Health Scotland say the situation isn’t quite as bad, however they had an average 986 flu hospital admissions this week.

My twopenneth:

- It is too early to say if flu will keep rising, carry on for weeks, or just peak and tail off. At this point no-one can declare this an exceptionally bad year, especially not an AI writing clickbait headlines for a national newspaper. That said, it's not started well, so the potential exists. 

- Call me a cynic, and we never want to overwhelm the NHS, but the Government want to stop the resident doctor's strikes. A lot of these headlines are dramatic and scary, they make people feel worried, and it works in the Government's favour.

COVID-19, Flu, H5N1 Avian Flu and Other Virus UK and World News Update 28th November 2025

COVID-19, Flu, H5N1 Avian Flu and Other Virus UK and World News Update 28th November 2025

Norovirus cases are on a downward slope in the UK. One down, one up. RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) season is upon us. This is a common virus most people hardly notice. RSV feels like a chesty cold, but can cause pneumonia in people who are less robust, and Bronchiolitis in little ones, which is the leading cause of infant mortality. If you have a chesty cold or are otherwise ill, don't visit Grandma, or friends and family with babies, and definitely don't visit anyone in hospital. 

The UK HSA weekly winter surveillance report shows that although we had an early start to flu season, it's a fairly 'normal' flu season. Cases are rising, but not leaping. Their wording:

- Flu activity has increased this week following a dip in recent weeks. Outbreaks in care homes and schools have also increased.

- RSV has increased and is circulating at low to medium levels across indicators.

- COVID-19 activity has decreased across most indicators and is circulating at baseline levels.

COVID-19, Long COVID and Other Health and Virus UK and World News Update 14th November 2025

COVID-19, Long COVID and Other Health and Virus UK and World News Update 14th November 2025

Latest UK Health Security Agency (HSA) messaging is that "influenza activity showed mixed trends and is circulating at low levels – this is an unusually early start of the influenza season". They add that circulation remains high in children and young adults.

COVID-19 activity decreased, still baseline levels. RSV activity increased, still baseline levels. 

"Emergency department attendances for influenza-like-illness remained stable", but "influenza-confirmed acute respiratory infection incidents increased". Of influenza viruses subtyped, the majority were A(H3N2).

There is a lot on flu today, so hopefully it all makes sense... Sir Jim Mackey, current head of NHS England, has warned that this winter will be “one of the toughest ever faced”. He told BBC Health Correspondent Hugh Pym that “from December through to March our hospitals will be at capacity”. Well that's not very positive is it? Here's why he said it... 

COVID-19, Flu, Measles, H5N1 Avian Flu and other virus UK Health and World News Update 31st October 2025

COVID-19, Flu, Measles,  and other virus UK Health and World News Update 31st October 2025

Happy Halloween! 

"If you mean was Covid a disaster? Yes.

Was the loss of education a disaster? Yes.

Was the loss of exams a disaster? Yes.

Was the disappointment, anger, frustration of a large number of kids - the additional frustration - a disaster? Yes it was.

"But it has to be seen in the context of us trying to deal with a much, much bigger disaster"

Boris Johnson, ex- UK PM at the UK COVID Inquiry, with possibly the clearest thing he's ever said. 

The UK's early Autumn COVID wave has ended. Hurrah! Activity has "decreased and is now circulating at baseline levels" according to the UK HSA. Good job really, as flu is hitting pretty hard, and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus, which causes coughs and sometimes pneumonia and bronchiolitis) is showing 'mixed activity'.