Official Statistics

National flu and COVID-19 surveillance report: 8 January 2026 (week 2)

Updated 8 January 2026

Applies to England

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-reports-2025-to-2026-season/national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-report-8-january-2026-week-2

This report summarises the information from the surveillance systems which are used to monitor COVID-19 (caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)), influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and diseases caused by other seasonal respiratory viruses in England. The report is based on data up to week 1 of 2026 (between 29 December and 4 January 2026).

Note data for this week’s report should be interpreted with caution in the light of changes in patterns of healthcare use, social mixing and lagged reporting due to the Christmas holidays.

Main points

The main messages of this report are:

  • Influenza activity showed mixed trends and is circulating at medium levels
  • COVID-19 activity showed mixed trends and is circulating at baseline levels
  • RSV activity showed mixed trends and is circulating at medium levels

Summary of all respiratory virus activity

Influenza activity

Influenza activity showed mixed trends across indicators and is circulating at medium levels. Emergency department (ED) attendances for influenza-like-illness (ILI) decreased. The number of influenza-confirmed acute respiratory infection (ARI) incidents increased. Of influenza viruses subtyped at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) Respiratory Virus Unit, the majority were A(H3N2). UKHSA has published early vaccine effectiveness estimates.

Weekly influenza vaccine uptake for the 2025 to 2026 season is reported for week 1 (data up to 04 January 2026). Compared with the equivalent week last season (2024 to 2025), vaccine uptake is higher for those aged under 65 years in clinical risk groups, pregnant women, those aged 2 and 3 years and comparable for those aged 65 years and over.

Indicator Trend Level [note 1] Comments
Laboratory surveillance Decreased slightly Medium Influenza positivity decreased slightly with a weekly mean positivity rate of 13.9% compared with 15.4% in the previous week
ILI general practice (GP) consultations Increasing Low The weekly ILI consultation rate increased to 14.6 per 100,000 registered population in participating GP practices compared with 11.2 per 100,000 in the previous week
GP swabbing positivity Increasing slightly Low In week 1, among all tested samples, 18.3% were positive for influenza, compared with 17.4% in the previous week
Hospital admissions Stable Medium The overall weekly hospital admission rate for influenza hospitalisations was stable at 7.19 per 100,000 compared with 6.85 per 100,000 in the previous week
Intensive care unit (ICU) / High-dependency unit (HDU) admissions Decreasing Low The overall weekly hospital admission rate for influenza ICU-HDU was decreasing at 0.23 per 100,000 compared with 0.28 per 100,000 in the previous week

COVID-19 activity

COVID-19 activity showed mixed trends and is circulating at baseline levels. ED attendances for COVID-19-like illness remained stable. The number of reported SARS-CoV-2 confirmed acute respiratory infections (ARI) incidents in week 1 decreased slightly compared with the previous week.

By the end of week 1 2026 (week ending 4 January 2026) 63.8% of all people aged 75 years and over, and 29% of all people aged under 75 years with a weakened immune system had been vaccinated with an autumn 2025 dose since 1 October 2025.

Indicator Trend Level [note 1] Comments
Laboratory surveillance Remained stable Baseline COVID-19 PCR (polymerase chain reaction) positivity in hospital settings remained stable with a weekly mean positivity rate of 1.6% compared with 1.6% in the previous week
GP swabbing positivity Increasing Baseline In week 1, among all tested samples, 4.3% were positive for SARS-CoV-2, compared with 2% in the previous week
Hospital admissions Increasing Baseline The overall weekly hospital admission rate for COVID-19 was increasing at 0.87 per 100,000 compared with 0.77 per 100,000 in the previous week
ICU/HDU admissions Remained low Baseline The overall weekly ICU or HDU admission rate for COVID-19 remained low at 0.03 per 100,000 compared with 0.04 per 100,000 in the previous week

Respiratory syncytial virus activity

RSV activity showed mixed trends across indicators and is circulating at medium levels. ED attendances for acute bronchiolitis remained stable.

Indicator Trend Level [note 1] Comments
Laboratory surveillance Decreasing slightly Low RSV positivity decreased slightly to 8.6% compared with 10.1% in the previous week
GP swabbing positivity Increasing Medium In week 1, among all tested samples, 14% were positive for RSV compared with 12.5% in the previous week
Hospital admissions Stable Medium The overall weekly hospital (excl ICU-HDU) admission rate for RSV was stable at 3.30 per 100,000 compared with 3.26 per 100,000 in the previous week

Other viruses

Indicator Trend Level [note 1] Comments
Adenovirus Decreasing slightly Baseline Adenovirus positivity (laboratory surveillance) decreased slightly to 1.4% compared with 1.7% in the previous week
Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) Decreasing slightly Low hMPV positivity (laboratory surveillance) decreased slightly to 3.4% compared with 4% in the previous week
Parainfluenza Stable Baseline Parainfluenza positivity (laboratory surveillance) remained stable at 2.8% compared with 2.9% in the previous week
Rhinovirus Decreasing Baseline Rhinovirus positivity (laboratory surveillance) decreased to 10.3% compared with 13.6% in the previous week

Note 1: these indicators use the moving epidemic method (MEM) and the mean standard deviation method (MSD) to define thresholds to determine their respective levels of activity. Further information on these methods can be found in Influenza surveillance in Europe: establishing epidemic thresholds by the Moving Epidemic Method and Setting thresholds to determine COVID-19 activity levels using the mean standard deviation (MSD) method, England, 2022 to 2024. The MEM approach is well-established for some influenza surveillance indicators, however, for other indicators both the MEM and MSD are experimental and may be subject to future revision. Influenza laboratory surveillance (from week 1) and GP swabbing positivity (from week 2) have transitioned from using MEM to using MSD. These approaches will be considered alongside expert opinion and triangulation of other data sources.

Laboratory surveillance

Laboratory-confirmed cases

The Second Generation Surveillance System (SGSS) captures test result information for notifiable infectious diseases, including COVID-19 and influenza, from laboratories in England. The unified sample dataset (USD), used to calculate the percentage tests positive for SARS-CoV-2 among all SARS-CoV-2 tests, stores all SARS-CoV-2 test results reported to SGSS, Respiratory DataMart, and UKHSA laboratories.

As of 30 October 2025, a data quality issue has been identified in the SGSS surveillance system, affecting COVID-19 case counts and case rates between 19 March 2025 and 28 July 2025. 1,225 positive COVID-19 cases have been excluded from the dataset and are currently under investigation. This affects Figure 1 in the report, which shows the weekly number of COVID-19 cases.

COVID-19 cases

As of 6 January 2026, there were a total of 543 COVID-19 cases identified in hospital settings in week 1, increasing slightly from 515 cases in the previous week. SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) PCR positivity in hospital settings remained stable in week 1, with a weekly average positivity rate of 1.6% compared with 1.6% in the previous week. Positivity rates were highest in those aged 85 years and over at a weekly average positivity rate of 2.3%. This remained stable when compared with week 52, when positivity rates were at 2.2% among those aged 85 years and over.

Figure 1. Weekly confirmed COVID-19 episodes tested in hospital settings, England.

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 [note 2] [note 3]

Note 2: data from previous seasons is aligned by day.

Note 3: testing policy and practice may change over time which can impact positivity rates, therefore comparisons over time should be interpreted with caution. Notable changes in testing policy occurred during 2022 to 2023, which are outlined in the data quality report.

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 [note 4]

Note 4: the highlighted line corresponds to the age group in the subplot title, grey lines correspond to all other age groups.

Influenza cases

As of 6 January 2026, influenza positivity in week 1 decreased slightly with a weekly average positivity rate of 13.9% compared with 15.4% in the previous week. Influenza positivity rates were highest in those aged between 15 and 24 years at a weekly average positivity rate of 22.5%. This has decreased from 26.8% among those aged between 15 and 24 years in week 52.

Figure 4. Daily percentage of tests positive for influenza among all reported influenza tests (7-day rolling average), England [note 2]

Note 2: data from previous seasons is aligned by day.

Figure 5. Daily percentage of tests positive for influenza among all reported influenza tests by age group (7-day rolling average), England [note 4]

Note 4: the highlighted line corresponds to the age group in the subplot title, grey lines correspond to all other age groups.

RSV positivity

This section is a new addition to the report. RSV swab-positivity based PCR test results reported through SGSS have been included as a pilot indicator from week 49 2025.

As of 6 January 2026, RSV positivity in week 1 decreased slightly with a weekly average positivity rate of 10.1% compared with 10.6% in the previous week. RSV positivity rates were highest in those aged between 0 and 4 years at a weekly average positivity rate of 31.6%. This has decreased slightly from 33.3% among those aged between 0 and 4 years in week 52.

Figure 6. Daily percentage of tests positive for RSV among all reported RSV tests in SGSS (7-day rolling average), England

Figure 7. Daily percentage of tests positive for RSV among all reported RSV tests in SGSS by age group (7-day rolling average), England [note 4]

Note 4: the highlighted line corresponds to the age group in the subplot title, grey lines correspond to all other age groups.

Respiratory DataMart System

Respiratory DataMart is a sentinel laboratory-based surveillance system where participating laboratories report positive and negative test results for a number of respiratory viruses from samples primarily taken in hospital. A small proportion of primary care samples are also included in this reporting.

In week 1, data is based on reporting from 9 out of the 14 sentinel laboratories.

In week 1, 6,430 respiratory specimens reported through the Respiratory DataMart System were tested for influenza. There were 911 positive samples for influenza: 777 influenza A (not subtyped), 114 influenza A (H3N2), 12 influenza A (H1N1)pdm09, and 12 influenza B. Overall, influenza positivity decreased slightly to 14.2% in week 1 compared with 15.2% in the previous week.

In week 1, 6,520 respiratory specimens reported through the Respiratory DataMart System were tested for SARS-CoV-2. There were 96 positive samples for SARS-CoV-2. SARS-CoV-2 positivity remained stable at 1.5% compared with 1.4% in the previous week, with the highest positivity in those aged 80 years and over at 2.2%.

RSV positivity decreased slightly to 8.6%, with the highest positivity in those aged under 5 years at 25.4%.

Adenovirus positivity decreased slightly to 1.4%, with the highest positivity in those aged between 5 and 14 years at 7.8%.

Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) positivity decreased slightly to 3.4%, with the highest positivity in those aged between 45 and 64 years at 5%.

Parainfluenza positivity remained stable at 2.8%, with the highest positivity in those aged under 5 years at 4.4%.

Rhinovirus positivity decreased to 10.3%, with the highest positivity in those aged under 5 years at 20%.

DataMart data is provisional and subject to retrospective updates.

Figure 8a. Respiratory DataMart weekly percentage of tests positive for influenza, SARS-CoV-2, RSV and rhinovirus, England [note 5]

Note 5: shading represents 95% confidence intervals.

Figure 8b. Respiratory DataMart weekly percentage of tests positive for adenovirus, hMPV and parainfluenza, England [note 5]

Note 5: shading represents 95% confidence intervals.

Figure 9. Respiratory DataMart weekly cases by influenza subtype, England

Figure 10. Respiratory DataMart weekly percentage testing positive for RSV by season, England

Figure 11. Respiratory DataMart weekly percentage testing positive for RSV by age, England [note 4]

Note 4: the highlighted line corresponds to the age group in the subplot title, grey lines correspond to all other age groups.

SARS-CoV-2 lineages

This section has been updated in Week 2 2026 as no report was published in Week 1 2026. It will be updated again in Week 3 2026, when fortnightly updates will resume.

UKHSA conducts genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 lineages.

This section provides an overview of circulating lineages in England, derived from data on sequenced PCR-positive SARS-CoV-2 samples in SGSS.

The prevalence of UKHSA-designated lineages among sequenced cases is presented in Figure 12.

To account for reporting delays, we report the proportion of lineages within COVID-19 cases that have had a sequenced positive sample between 24 November 2025 and 7 December 2025. Of those sequenced in this period 31.82% were classified as XFG, 25% were classified as NB.1.8.1, 18.18% were classified as XFG.3.4, 6.82% were classified as XFG.3, 6.82% were classified as XFG.17.2.1 and 4.55% were classified as XFG.5. Note that low sequencing numbers will impact the accuracy of the prevalence estimates.

Note that lineages will be grouped independently from their parent lineage once they reach sufficient prevalence, and may be re-grouped into their parent lineage if their prevalence subsequently falls. The data quality report contains more information on lineage groupings.

Figure 12. Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 lineages amongst available sequenced cases for England from 23 December 2024 to 14 December 2025

Influenza virus characterisation

Analysis of viruses from primary and secondary care shows that circulating A(H1N1)pdm09 show genetic diversity - antigenic characterisation of currently circulating A(H1N1)pdm09 shows that these are antigenically similar to the A(H1N1)pdm09 strain included in the Northern Hemisphere 2025 to 2026 vaccine.

The characterisation of circulating A(H3N2) viruses show that A(H3N2) viruses are diverse (genetically). Most sequenced viruses to date belong to genetic clade J.2.4.1 (also referred to as subclade K). Antigenic characterisation indicates low reactivity of these viruses with post infection ferret antisera raised against the Northern Hemisphere vaccine H3N2 viral components.

To date, only a small number of influenza B viruses have been detected, which show some genetic diversity, and antigenic characterization of these viruses is ongoing.

Early vaccine effectiveness data indicates that vaccines continue to provide protection against clinical disease despite these observations for A(H3N2).

Genetic characterisation

Between week 40 2025 (week ending 5 October 2025) and week 1 2026 (week ending 4 January 2026), the UKHSA respiratory virus unit (RVU) has genetically characterised 957 seasonal influenza viruses, and identified 829 influenza A(H3N2) viruses, 123 influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses, and 5 influenza B viruses. Details of the characterised viruses by subtype are shown in tables 1, 2 and 3. The RVU has confirmed by genome sequencing the detection of live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) viruses in 8 influenza A/B positive samples collected from children aged between 2 and 16 years of age.

Note that earlier reports (up to week 46) included influenza B viruses collected from weeks 35 to 39, which are missing from later reports covering week 40 onwards.

Table 1. Number of influenza A H1N1(pdm09) viruses characterised by genetic analysis at the UKHSA Respiratory Virus Unit since week 40 2025

Clade Subclade Detections
5a.2a C.1.9.3 2
5a.2a.1 D.3.1 121

Table 2. Number of influenza A(H3N2) viruses characterised by genetic analysis at the UKHSA Respiratory Virus Unit since week 40 2025

Clade Subclade Detections
2a.3a.1 J.2 12
2a.3a.1 J.2.2 1
2a.3a.1 J.2.3 3
2a.3a.1 J.2.4 16
2a.3a.1 K (J.2.4.1) 794
2a.3a.1 J.2.5 3

Table 3. Number of influenza B viruses characterised by genetic analysis at the UKHSA Respiratory Virus Unit since week 40 2025

Clade Subclade Detections
V1A.3a.2 C.5.1 2
V1A.3a.2 C.5.6 2
V1A.3a.2 C.5.7 1

Antigenic characterisation

UKHSA RVU performs antigenic characterisation of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09, influenza A(H3N2) and influenza B viruses using haemagglutination inhibition (HI) assays. Data from these assays are used to compare how similar the currently circulating influenza viruses are to the strains included in seasonal influenza vaccines, and to monitor for changes in circulating influenza viruses. Similarity of currently circulating influenza strains to vaccine strains is defined as having an antibody titre within 4-fold when compared to reference viruses representative of the vaccine strain.

  • A(H1N1)pdm09: 19 A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses have been antigenically characterised and 19 were similar to reference viruses representative of the A/Wisconsin/67/2022 (H1N1)pdm09-like and A/Victoria/4897/2022 (H1N1)pdm09‑like Northern Hemisphere 2025/26 (H1N1)pdm09 vaccine strains
  • A(H3N2): 38 A(H3N2) viruses have been antigenically characterised and 3 were similar to reference viruses representative of the A/District of Columbia/27/2023 (H3N2)-like and A/Croatia/10136RV/2023 (H3N2) like Northern Hemisphere 2025/26 (H3N2) vaccine strains. The 35 viruses that were antigenically distant from the Northern Hemisphere 2025/26 vaccine strains belonged to the K subclade
  • B/Victoria: no influenza B viruses have been antigenically characterised since week 40 2025

Influenza virus antiviral susceptibility surveillance

Influenza positive samples are screened for mutations in the virus neuraminidase (NA) and the cap-dependent endonuclease of the polymerase acidic protein (PA) genes known to confer neuraminidase inhibitor (oseltamivir and zanamivir) or baloxavir resistance, respectively. Results from this surveillance are given in table 4. There have been a low number of detections with mutations related to reduced susceptibility to baloxavir, in people both with and without baloxavir use. The specific numbers are suppressed for statistical disclosure control. Antiviral use (relevant to the identified mutation) is counted in detections with reported use of the relevant antiviral by referring clinician. In this, ‘no use’ and ‘unknown use’ are equivalent and equal to zero.

Table 4. Oseltamivir, zanamivir and baloxavir marboxil antiviral susceptibility results of influenza positive samples tested at UKHSA-RVU since week 40 of 2025 using whole genome sequencing

Subtype Mutation (gene) Interpretation Detections Antiviral use
H1N1pdm09 None (NA) Normal Inhibition (oseltamivir and zanamivir) 121 Not applicable
H1N1pdm09 None (PA) Normal Susceptibility (baloxavir marboxil) 119 Not applicable
H1N1pdm09 H275Y (NA) + S247N (NA) Highly Reduced Inhibition (oseltamivir) Below 5 Below 5
H1N1pdm09 I38T (PA) Reduced Susceptibility (baloxavir marboxil) Below 5 Below 5
H3N2 None (NA) Normal Inhibition (oseltamivir and zanamivir) 824 Not applicable
H3N2 None (PA) Normal Susceptibility (baloxavir marboxil) 817 Not applicable
H3N2 K249E (NA) Reduced Inhibition (oseltamivir) Below 5 none
H3N2 E119V (NA) Reduced Inhibition (oseltamivir) Below 5 Below 5
H3N2 I38L (PA) Reduced Susceptibility (baloxavir marboxil) Below 5 Below 5
B Victoria None (NA) Normal Inhibition (oseltamivir and zanamivir) 5 Not applicable
B Victoria None (PA) Normal Susceptibility (baloxavir marboxil) 5 Not applicable

Community surveillance

Acute respiratory infection incidents (ARI)

Data is presented on viral ARI incidents in different settings that are reported to UKHSA health protection teams (HPTs).

Please note that reporting practices are known to vary between seasons and between regions. Any interpretation of temporal and regional trends should consider the likelihood of differences in reporting of ARI incidents over time and between regions.

There were 276 new ARI incidents reported in week 1 in England. These included:

  • 260 incidents from care homes, of which 103 were due to influenza A, 20 were due to influenza (no type information available), 17 were due to RSV, 15 were due to multiple pathogens, 6 were due to other pathogens, 2 were due to SARS-CoV-2 and 1 was due to influenza B. No pathogen was reported in 96 incidents

  • 12 incidents from hospitals, of which 7 were due to influenza A, 1 was due to SARS-CoV-2, 1 was due to influenza (no type information available), 1 was due to multiple pathogens and 1 was due to other pathogens. No pathogen was reported in 1 incident

  • no incidents from educational settings

  • no incidents from prisons

  • 4 incidents from other settings, of which 1 was due to influenza A. No pathogen was reported in 3 incidents

Figure 13. Number of ARI incidents by setting, England

Figure 14. Number of ARI incidents in all settings by virus type, England

FluSurvey (England)

FluSurvey is an internet-based participatory surveillance system based on the InfluenzaNet platform. It monitors trends of influenza-like illness (ILI) in the community using self-reported respiratory symptoms from registered participants. As a participatory surveillance system, new signups can occur throughout the season and participation can vary in each week.

The European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) ILI case definition of sudden onset of symptoms with at least one of fever (chills), malaise, headache, muscle pain and at least one of cough, sore throat, shortness of breath is used for reporting. Please note that ILI is a broad definition and can include other respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19.

Healthcare use is presented as self-reported use of health services among participants meeting the ILI ECDC case definition. Where a person reports use of more than one health care service, secondary care will be indicated over primary care use and physical attendance to primary care will be indicated over use of remote services (for example, online NHS services, telephoning their GP or 111).

During week 1 2026:

  • there were 2,056 participants who completed the weekly symptoms questionnaire

  • 360 (17.5%) reported fever or cough and 134 (6.5%) met the ILI case definition, in the past week

  • 14.2% of participants meeting the ILI case definition reported contact with healthcare services as a result of self-reported symptoms; the most frequently reported contact was a visit to the GP

  • the proportion of participants meeting the ILI case definition slightly increased compared with the previous report week (6.5% compared with 6% in week 52)

Figure 15. Rates of fever or cough and influenza-like illness (ILI) per 1,000 FluSurvey participants, England

Figure 16. Proportion of healthcare use by type among FluSurvey participants meeting the influenza-like illness case definition, England

Syndromic surveillance

Syndromic surveillance collects data from various healthcare sources where presentations are classified by patterns of symptoms compatible with specific infections. In some settings, the syndromic diagnosis can be supplemented by (rapid) testing. In this report, ED attendances are displayed. Further details and data from other syndromic surveillance systems can be found in the syndromic surveillance weekly summaries.

During the week ending on 4 January 2026, ED attendances for acute respiratory infection decreased nationally and were in line with seasonally expected levels. ED attendances for influenza-like illness decreased nationally but were in line with seasonally expected levels. ED attendances for COVID-19-like illness remained stable. ED attendances for acute bronchiolitis, a syndrome related to RSV infection, were stable and in line with seasonally expected levels.

Daily NHS 111 calls and NHS 111 online assessments for acute respiratory infections remained stable overall but there were increases in adult age groups, particularly those aged 45 and over. GP out-of-hours contacts for acute respiratory infections decreased overall but there increases in adults aged 45 years and over. Contacts for influenza-like illness remained stable and were above seasonally expected levels.

Figure 17a. Daily emergency department attendances for acute respiratory infection nationally, England [note 6]

Note 6: 7-day moving average is adjusted for bank holidays. Grey columns show weekends and bank holidays.

Figure 17b. Daily emergency department attendances for acute respiratory infection by age group, England [note 7]

Note 7: scales vary in each graph to enable trend comparisons. The black line is the 7-day moving average adjusted for bank holidays.

Figure 18a. Daily emergency department attendances for COVID-19-like illness nationally, England [note 6]

Note 6: 7-day moving average is adjusted for bank holidays. Grey columns show weekends and bank holidays.

Figure 18b. Daily emergency department attendances for COVID-19-like illness by age group, England [note 7]

Note 7: scales vary in each graph to enable trend comparisons. The black line is the 7-day moving average adjusted for bank holidays.

Figure 19a. Daily emergency department attendances for ILI nationally, England [note 6]

Note 6: 7-day moving average is adjusted for bank holidays. Grey columns show weekends and bank holidays.

Figure 19b. Daily emergency department attendances for ILI by age group, England [note 7]

Note 7: scales vary in each graph to enable trend comparisons. The black line is the 7-day moving average adjusted for bank holidays.

Figure 20a. Daily emergency department attendances for acute bronchiolitis nationally, England [note 6]

Note 6: 7-day moving average is adjusted for bank holidays. Grey columns show weekends and bank holidays.

Figure 20b. Daily emergency department attendances for acute bronchiolitis by age group, England [note 7]

Note 7: scales vary in each graph to enable trend comparisons. The black line is the 7-day moving average adjusted for bank holidays.

Primary care surveillance

Primary care surveillance is undertaken in collaboration with the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Research and Surveillance Centre (RSC), using a national sentinel surveillance system of around 2,000 GP practices covering over 20 million registered patients of all ages across England. More information on the methodology can be found in the data quality report.

RCGP clinical indicators (England)

Please note that ILI consultation rates over the last 2 weeks are likely to have been impacted by the bank holidays.

The weekly ILI consultation rate through the RCGP surveillance increased to 14.6 per 100,000 registered population in participating GP practices in week 1 compared with 11.2 per 100,000 in the previous week. This rate is in the low activity level (Figure 21). By age group, the highest rates were seen in those aged under 1 year (45.9 per 100,000), and those aged 75 and over years (42.4 per 100,000).

The lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) consultation rate increased to 129.6 per 100,000 in week 1 compared with 79.4 per 100,000 in the previous week.

Further details are available in the weekly RSC communicable and respiratory disease report for England.

Figure 21. RCGP ILI consultation rates per 100,000, all ages, England

MEM thresholds are based on data from the 2017 to 2018 season to the 2024 to 2025 season. Please note the 2019 to 2020, 2020 to 2021 and 2021 to 2022 seasons have been removed.

RCGP sentinel swabbing scheme in England

From week 40 2025, the RCGP sentinel swabbing scheme testing capability has been expanded to the UKHSA Bristol laboratory in addition to the UKHSA Colindale laboratory. Samples sent to Colindale are tested for influenza A and B, RSV A and B, SARS-CoV-2, hMPV, adenovirus, seasonal coronavirus and enterovirus/rhinovirus while samples sent to Bristol are tested for influenza A and B, RSV and SARS-COV-2.

394 samples were taken in week 1 2026 through the GP sentinel swabbing, 93 were tested and 34 tested positive (Figure 22). As of week 4 2024, contemporaneous enterovirus differentiation has stopped. Starting from week 40 2025, samples with more than 7 days between the sample collection date and the symptom onset date have been excluded.

In week 1 2026, influenza positivity was 18.3%, SARS-CoV-2 positivity was 4.3%, and RSV positivity was 14% (Figure 23). All of these samples have been tested in Bristol. In Bristol, 76.5% of the samples taken were from the South West.

In week 52 2025, influenza positivity was 17.4%, SARS-CoV-2 positivity was 2%, RSV positivity was 12.5%, adenovirus positivity was 4.2%, hMPV positivity was 8.9%, seasonal coronavirus positivity was 5.3%, and enterovirus and rhinovirus positivity was 10.6% (Figure 23). All of these samples have been tested in Bristol and Colindale.

Due to the number of samples which have not yet been categorised, data should be interpreted with caution when compared with previous weeks. The weekly positivity is not calculated when the number of samples with a result is fewer than 50.

Figure 22. Number of samples tested for respiratory viruses in England by week, GP sentinel swabbing scheme [note 8]

Note 8: unknown category corresponds to samples with no result yet.

Figure 23. Percentage of detected respiratory virus among samples with completed testing for each virus in England by week, GP sentinel swabbing scheme

Figure 24. Percentage of detected respiratory viruses among samples with completed testing for each virus in England by age group, GP sentinel swabbing scheme, week 50 to week 1

Figure 25. Weekly positivity for SARS-CoV-2, influenza and RSV in England, GP sentinel swabbing scheme [note 5] [note 9]

Note 5: shading represents 95% confidence intervals.

Note 9: The latest week of data may not represent both the Colindale and Bristol laboratories, as sample transit and processing is faster in Bristol than in Colindale.

Secondary care surveillance

COVID-19 hospital and ICU or HDU admissions

Surveillance of COVID-19 hospitalisations to all levels of care and admissions to intensive care units (ICU) or high dependency units (HDU) are both mandatory, with data required from all acute NHS trusts in England.

Please note that SARI Watch data is provisional and subject to retrospective updates. ICU or HDU admission rates may also be affected by lags from admission to hospital to an ICU or HDU ward. Rates are presented per 100,000 trust catchment population.

COVID-19 hospitalisations for all levels of care in week 1 2026 based on 97 NHS trusts in England were as follows:

  • the overall weekly hospital admission rate for COVID-19 increased to 0.87 (compared with 0.77 per 100,000 in the previous week)

  • hospital admission rates for COVID-19 were highest in the South West region (increasing to 1.38 per 100,000 compared with 1.18 in the previous week) (see the supplementary graphs and data file for regional breakdowns)

  • the highest hospital admission rate for COVID-19 was in those aged 85 years and over (increasing to 8.69 per 100,000 compared with 7.87 in the previous week)

COVID-19 ICU-HDU admissions in week 1 2026 based on 83 NHS trusts in England were as follows:

  • the overall ICU or HDU rate for COVID-19 remained low at 0.03 per 100,000 (compared with 0.04 per 100,000 in the previous week). Note that with low rates in critical care, small random fluctuations may occur

  • ICU or HDU admission rates for COVID-19 were highest in the South West region (decreasing to 0.06 per 100,000 compared with 0.12 in the previous week) (see the supplementary graphs and data file for regional breakdowns)

  • the highest ICU or HDU admission rate for COVID-19 was in those aged between 75 and 84 years (increasing to 0.14 per 100,000 compared with 0.09 in the previous week)

Figure 26. Weekly overall COVID-19 hospital admission rates per 100,000 trust catchment population reported through SARI Watch mandatory surveillance, England

Figure 27. Weekly hospital admission rate by age group for new COVID-19 positive cases reported through SARI Watch mandatory surveillance, England [note 10]

Note 10: the highlighted line corresponds to the most recent 2025 to 2026 season, grey lines correspond to the previous 2024 to 2025 season.

Figure 28. Weekly overall COVID-19 ICU or HDU admission rates per 100,000 trust catchment population reported through SARI Watch mandatory surveillance, England

Figure 29. Weekly ICU or HDU admission rate by age group for new COVID-19 positive cases reported through SARI Watch mandatory surveillance, England [note 10]

Note 10: the highlighted line corresponds to the most recent 2025 to 2026 season, grey lines correspond to the previous 2024 to 2025 season.

Influenza hospital and ICU or HDU admissions

Surveillance of influenza hospitalisations to all levels of care is based on data from a small sentinel network of acute NHS trusts in England. Surveillance of admissions to ICU or HDU for influenza is mandatory with data required from all acute NHS trusts in England.

Please note that SARI Watch data is provisional and subject to retrospective updates. Rates are presented per 100,000 trust catchment population.

Influenza hospitalisations to all levels of care in week 1 2026 based on 25 sentinel NHS trusts in England were as follows:

  • the overall weekly hospital admission rate for influenza hospitalisations was stable at 7.19 per 100,000 compared with 6.85 per 100,000 in the previous week

  • this rate is in the medium impact range (6.88 to less than 12.57 per 100,000)

  • hospital admission rates for influenza were highest in those aged 85 years and over (62.82 per 100,000) (see the respiratory virus section of the data dashboard for regional breakdowns)

  • there were 835 new hospital admissions for influenza (819 influenza A(not subtyped), 1 influenza A(H1N1)pdm09, 12 influenza A(H3N2), and 3 influenza B)

Influenza ICU-HDU admissions in week 1 2026 based on 100 NHS trusts in England were as follows:

  • the overall weekly hospital admission rate for influenza ICU-HDU was decreasing at 0.23 per 100,000 compared with 0.28 per 100,000 in the previous week

  • this rate is in the low impact range (0.1 to 0.3 per 100,000)

  • see the respiratory virus section of the data dashboard for regional breakdowns

  • there were 104 new ICU or HDU admissions for influenza (90 influenza A(not subtyped), 1 influenza A(H1N1)pdm09, 11 influenza A(H3N2), and 2 influenza B)

Figure 30. Weekly overall influenza hospital admission rates per 100,000 trust catchment population with MEM thresholds, reported through SARI Watch sentinel surveillance, England

Figure 31. Weekly influenza hospital admissions by influenza type, reported through SARI Watch sentinel surveillance, England

Figure 32. Weekly hospital admission rate by age group for new influenza reported through SARI Watch sentinel surveillance, England [note 10]

Note 10: the highlighted line corresponds to the most recent 2025 to 2026 season, grey lines correspond to the previous 2024 to 2025 season.

Figure 33. 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 34. Weekly influenza ICU or HDU admissions by influenza type, reported through SARI Watch mandatory surveillance, England

Figure 35. Weekly ICU or HDU admission rate by age group for new influenza cases, reported through SARI Watch mandatory surveillance, England [note 10]

Note 10: the highlighted line corresponds to the most recent 2025 to 2026 season, grey lines correspond to the previous 2024 to 2025 season.

RSV hospital admissions

Surveillance of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) hospitalisations (excluding ICU or HDU admissions) is based on data from a small sentinel network of acute NHS trusts in England submitting data volunatrily. Trusts submit weekly aggregate counts of new RSV admissions and these are summed and converted to rates by linking to catchment populations of participating trusts in that week. Please see the data quality report for additional details on SARI-Watch RSV data and other SARI-Watch collections.

Please note recent changes to the operational period of RSV surveillance. From the 2024 to 2025 season, surveillance of RSV commenced earlier (starting week 36) to routinely capture earlier activity, pausing earlier at week 14 due to substantial decreases in activity that typically occur by this time. In prior seasons, RSV surveillance operated routinely between week 40 and week 20 in the following year (except in 2023 to 2024 where surveillance paused at week 16). In order to view activity from week 36, the current season 2025 to 2026 is compared to 2024 to 2025 only. Where comparisons involve more seasons, data from week 40 to week 14 are presented.

SARI Watch data is provisional and subject to retrospective updates. Rates are presented per 100,000 trust catchment population.

RSV hospitalisations, excluding ICU or HDU admissions, in week 1 2026 were based on 17 sentinel NHS trusts in England:

  • the overall weekly hospital admission rate for RSV remained stable at 3.30 per 100,000 (compared with 3.26 per 100,000 in the previous week)

  • in children aged under 5 years, the hospitalisation rate for RSV decreased to 23.68 per 100,000 (compared with 27.97 per 100,000 in the previous week)

  • in adults aged 75 years and over, the hospitalisation rate for RSV increased to 12.68 per 100,000 (compared with 8.79 per 100,000 in the previous week). Broken down further, rates were 6.38 per 100,000 in those aged between 75 and 84 years, and 28.74 per 100,000 in those aged 85 years and over in week 1

RSV ICU-HDU admissions in week 1 2026 were based on 17 sentinel NHS trusts in England:

  • the overall weekly ICU-HDU admission rate for RSV decreased to 0.10 per 100,000 (compared with 0.20 per 100,000 in the previous week)

Figure 36. Weekly overall hospital admission rates (excluding ICU or HDU) of RSV positive cases per 100,000 population reported through SARI Watch sentinel surveillance, England

Figure 37. 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 38. Weekly hospital admission rates (excluding ICU or HDU) by age group for RSV cases reported through SARI Watch sentinel surveillance, England [note 10]

Note 10: the highlighted line corresponds to the most recent 2025 to 2026 season, grey lines correspond to the previous 2024 to 2025 season.

ECMO admissions

Surveillance of extra corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) admissions is based on data from severe respiratory failure (SRF) centres in the UK. See the data quality report for additional information.

Please note that SARI Watch data is provisional and subject to retrospective updates.

There were 3 new ECMO admissions reported in week 1 2026 in adults:

  • 1 admission was due to influenza (1 influenza A(not subtyped))

  • 1 admission was due to a suspected ARI

  • 1 admission was due to a non-infectious cause

Please note that the other group includes other viral, bacterial or fungal ARI, suspected ARI, non-infection (such as asthma, primary cardiac and trauma) and sepsis of non-respiratory origin.

Figure 39. 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

Cumulative data up to the end of week 1 2026 (Sunday 4 January 2026) was extracted from the Immunisation Information System (IIS). Data is extracted on the next working day following the end of reporting week (Monday 5 January 2026). Age is calculated as age on date of extraction.

Data is provisional and subject to change following further validation checks. Any changes to historic figures will be reflected in the most recent publication.

Autumn 2025 campaign

The autumn 2025 data reported below covers any dose administered from 1 October 2025 (ISO Week 40) provided there are at least 20 days from the previous dose. Eligible groups for the campaign are defined in Green Book chapter on COVID-19. By the end of week 1 2026 (week ending 4 January 2026) 63.8% of all people aged 75 years and over, and 29% of all people aged under 75 years with a weakened immune system, who are living and resident in England had been vaccinated with an autumn 2025 dose since 1 October 2025 (Figure 40).

Figure 40. Cumulative weekly COVID-19 vaccine uptake by target group in England [note 11]

Note 11: the month is taken from the Monday of an international organisation for standardisation (ISO) week.

For data on the real-world effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines, please see the epidemiology of COVID-19 in England reports.

For COVID-19 management information on the number of COVID-19 vaccinations provided by the NHS in England, please see the COVID-19 vaccinations webpage.

For UK COVID-19 daily vaccination figures and definitions, please see the Vaccinations section of the UK COVID-19 dashboard.

Since the 19 December 2024, monthly data for frontline healthcare workers has been published. This covers vaccinations that were given between 1 September 2024 and 28 February 2025 and is available under the joint flu and COVID-19 vaccine uptake report.

Influenza vaccination

Influenza vaccine uptake in GP patients

Weekly vaccine uptake data is provisional.

Influenza vaccination is reported by GP practice through the ImmForm website. ImmForm provides a secure online platform for vaccine uptake data collection for several immunisation surveys, including the seasonal influenza vaccine uptake collection. Details can be found in the data quality report.

For the 2025 to 2026 season’s vaccination programme, as in previous seasons, children and pregnant women have been eligible since 1 September. For this current season and the previous season (2025 to 2026 and 2024 to 2025 seasons respectively), adult groups (excluding pregnant women) were eligible from the start of October (1 October 2025 and 3 October 2024 respectively), rather than 1 September as in previous seasons. See the Timing section of the annual flu letter for more information.

Up to the end of week 1 of 2026 (Sunday 4 January 2026), the provisional proportion of people in England who had received an influenza vaccine this season in targeted groups was as follows:

Adults (99% of GP practices reporting through Immform):

  • 40% in those aged under 65 years in a clinical risk group

  • 37.9% in all pregnant women

  • 74% in all those aged over 65 years

Children (99% of GP practices reporting):

  • 43% in children aged 2 years

  • 44.1% in children aged 3 years

Due to the bank holidays over the festive season (and as weekly vaccine uptake data has plateaued at this stage of the season), weekly data was last report on 18 December 2025 (week 50 data). In the graphs below, data points for weeks 51 and 52 have been added retrospectively.

Figure 41. Cumulative weekly influenza vaccine uptake by target group in England

On 18 December 2025, provisional monthly vaccine uptake data was published for the second time this season, which covered influenza vaccinations given between 1 September and 30 November 2025 for GP patients, school-aged children, and frontline healthcare workers.The next monthly data will be published on 29 January 2026 and will cover influenza vaccinations given between 1 September and 31 December 2025.

Data sources and methodology

For additional information regarding data sources, see the data quality report.

Background information

Annual epidemiological reports for the 2024 to 2025 season:

Annual influenza vaccine uptake reports for the 2024 to 2025 season:

COVID-19 deaths

For further information on COVID-19 related deaths in England please see the COVID-19 dashboard for death.

All-cause mortality assessment (England)

For further information on all-cause mortality in England please see the:

Syndromic surveillance

For further information on syndromic surveillance please see the syndromic surveillance weekly summaries.

Further information and contact details

Feedback and contact information

To provide feedback and for all queries relating to this document, please contact respdsr.enquiries@ukhsa.gov.uk

Official statistics

Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.

You are welcome to contact us directly by emailing respdsr.enquiries@ukhsa.gov.uk with any comments about how we meet these standards.

Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.

UKHSA is committed to ensuring that these statistics comply with the Code of Practice for Statistics. This means users can have confidence in the people who produce UKHSA statistics because our statistics are robust, reliable and accurate. Our statistics are regularly reviewed to ensure they support the needs of society for information.

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