QUAD-DEMIC ON ITS WAY..

NHS bosses’ winter warning as four different viruses hit hard | Hospital wards busier than ever ...and Health Sec urges: Get jabbed

- MARTIN BAGOT

NHS bosses warned of a "quad-demic" yesterday as the health service goes into winter under more pressure than ever.

Data out yesterday showed a 350% increase in flu cases and an 86% rise in people with norovirus in hospitals compared to the same week last year.

It comes alongside concerns about rising Covid-19 and respiratory syncytial virus levels in hospitals.

RSV is a common cause of coughs and colds which can cause pneumonia in babies and the elderly.

The situation has sparked calls for those who are eligible as well as NHS staff to get jabbed against the illnesses.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS England medical director, said: "The NHS is busier than it has ever been before heading into winter - and we are still only at the start of December, so we expect pressure to increase and there is a long winter ahead of us.