Official Statistics

Changes to reporting over the winter period 2025 (starting from the week 41 report)

Updated 16 October 2025

Applies to England

As we move into the winter reporting period, these statistics are now updated weekly since respiratory virus activity is typically higher during the winter season. This report has also been extended to enable more granular surveillance of influenza, COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses through the winter to better support clinical and public health decision-making. In summary, this reporting will include more detail on:

• hospital, intensive care unit (ICU) and high dependency unit (HDU) admission rates
• emergency department (ED) attendances
• acute respiratory infection (ARI) incidents
• influenza: virus characterisation and antiviral susceptibility
• influenza and COVID-19 vaccine uptake

Summary of changes to the main report

Executive summary

No changes.

Laboratory surveillance

Laboratory-confirmed cases

The report now includes previously unpublished influenza testing data from the second generation surveillance system, reporting tests from most laboratories in England.

Added:

• Figure 1. Weekly confirmed COVID-19 episodes tested in hospital settings, England
• Figure 3. Daily percentage of tests positive for SARS-CoV-2 among all reported SARS-CoV-2 tests by age group (7-day rolling average), England
• Figure 5. Daily percentage of tests positive for influenza among all reported influenza tests by age group (7-day rolling average), England

Kept:

• Figure 2. Daily percentage of tests positive for SARS-CoV-2 among all reported SARS-CoV-2 tests (7-day rolling average), England 2022 to present
• Figure 4. Daily percentage of tests positive for influenza among all reported influenza tests (7-day rolling average), England

Respiratory DataMart System

Kept:

• Figure 6a. Respiratory DataMart weekly percentage of tests positive for influenza, SARS-CoV-2, RSV and rhinovirus, England
• Figure 6b. Respiratory DataMart weekly percentage of tests positive for adenovirus, hMPV and parainfluenza, England

Added:

• Figure 7. Respiratory DataMart weekly cases by influenza subtype, England
• Figure 8. Respiratory DataMart weekly percentage testing positive for RSV by season, England
• Figure 9. Respiratory DataMart weekly percentage testing positive for RSV by age, England

Microbiological surveillance 

SARS-CoV-2 lineages.

Kept:

• Figure 10. Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 lineages amongst available sequences episodes for England from [day month year] up to [day month year]

Influenza virus characterisation

• Table 1. Number of influenza A H1N1(pdm09) viruses characterised by genetic and antigenic analysis at the UKHSA Respiratory Virus Unit since [day month year]
• Table 2. Number of influenza A H3N2 viruses characterised by genetic and antigenic analysis at the UKHSA Respiratory Virus Unit since [day month year]

Additional tables will be generated once there are influenza B viruses detected and genetically characterised.

Influenza virus antiviral susceptibility surveillance

• Table 3. Oseltamivir and Zanamivir antiviral susceptibility results of influenza positive samples tested at UKHSA-RVU since [day month year] using whole genome sequencing
• Table 4. Baloxavir marboxil antiviral susceptibility results of influenza positive samples tested at UKHSA-RVU since week 35 2025 using whole genome sequencing

Additional tables will be presented when there have been detections of viruses with decreased susceptibility against antiviral agents, these will list the mutation type.

Community surveillance

Acute respiratory infection incidents (ARI)

Added:

• Figure 11. Number of ARI incidents by setting, England
• Figure 12. Number of ARI incidents in all settings by virus type, England

FluSurvey

This section is planned to be added in the week 46 report, published on 13 November 2025.

Flu Detector

This section has been removed.

Syndromic surveillance

Added:

• Figure 13a. Daily emergency department attendances for acute respiratory infection nationally, England
• Figure 13b. Daily emergency department attendances for acute respiratory infection by age group, England
• Figure 14a. Daily emergency department attendances for COVID-19-like illness nationally, England
• Figure 14b. Daily emergency department attendances for COVID-19-like illness by age group, England
• Figure 15a. Daily emergency department attendances for ILI nationally, England
• Figure 15b. Daily emergency department attendances for ILI by age group, England
• Figure 16a. Daily emergency department attendances for acute bronchiolitis nationally, England
• Figure 16b. Daily emergency department attendances for acute bronchiolitis by age group, England

Primary care surveillance

Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP)

Added:

• Figure 17. RCGP ILI consultation rates per 100,000, all ages, England
• Figure 19. Percentage of detected respiratory virus among all samples with completed testing in England by week, GP sentinel swabbing scheme
• Figure 20. Percentage of detected respiratory viruses among all samples with completed testing in England by age group, GP sentinel swabbing scheme, week [week number year] to week [week number year]
• Figure 21. Weekly positivity for SARS-CoV-2, influenza and RSV in England, GP sentinel swabbing scheme

Kept:

• Figure 18. Number of samples tested for respiratory viruses in England by week, GP sentinel swabbing scheme

Secondary care surveillance

COVID-19, SARI Watch

Kept:

• Figure 22. Weekly overall COVID-19 hospital admission rates per 100,000 trust catchment population reported through SARI Watch mandatory surveillance, England
• Figure 24. Weekly overall COVID-19 ICU or HDU admission rates per 100,000 trust catchment population reported through SARI Watch mandatory surveillance, England

Added:

• Figure 23. Weekly hospital admission rate by age group for new COVID-19 positive cases reported through SARI Watch mandatory surveillance, England

• Figure 25. Weekly ICU or HDU admission rate by age group for new COVID-19 positive cases reported through SARI Watch mandatory surveillance, England

Influenza, SARI Watch

Added:

• Figure 26. Weekly overall influenza hospital admission rates per 100,000 trust catchment population with MEM thresholds, reported through SARI Watch sentinel surveillance, England
• Figure 27. Weekly influenza hospital admissions by influenza type, reported through SARI Watch sentinel surveillance, England
• Figure 28. Weekly hospital admission rate by age group for new influenza reported through SARI Watch sentinel surveillance, England
• Figure 29. Weekly overall influenza ICU or HDU admission rates per 100,000 trust catchment population with MEM thresholds, reported through SARI Watch mandatory surveillance, England
• Figure 30. Weekly influenza ICU or HDU admissions by influenza type, reported through SARI Watch mandatory surveillance, England
• Figure 31. Weekly ICU or HDU admission rate by age group for new influenza cases, reported through SARI Watch mandatory surveillance, England

RSV admissions, SARI Watch

Added:

• Figure 32. Weekly hospital admission rates (excluding ICU or HDU) of RSV positive cases per 100,000 population reported through SARI Watch sentinel surveillance, England
• Figure 33. Weekly hospital admission rates (excluding ICU or HDU) of RSV positive cases per 100,000 population in those aged under 5 years and aged over 75 years reported through SARI Watch sentinel surveillance, England
• Figure 34. Weekly hospital admission rates (excluding ICU or HDU) by age group for RSV cases reported through SARI Watch sentinel surveillance, England

ECMO, SARI Watch

Kept:

• Figure 35. Laboratory-confirmed ECMO admissions in adults (COVID-19, influenza and non-COVID-19 confirmed) to Severe Respiratory Failure centres in the UK

Vaccine coverage

COVID-19 vaccine uptake in England

Added:

• Figure 36. Cumulative weekly COVID-19 vaccine uptake by target group in England

Influenza vaccine uptake in GP patients

Added:

• Figure 37. Cumulative weekly influenza vaccine uptake by target group in England