A surge in flu and other respiratory viruses could put pressure on people’s health and the NHS this winter according to a report just issued.
They have called for a mass ramp up of testing in Covid and a respiratory virus common in children and the elderly called RSV.
The Academy of Medical Sciences report calls for people with any symptoms to isolate and stay at home.
The report, by 29 medics and requested by the government, says there is great uncertainty about what the next few months will hold across the UK, but it urges policymakers to prepare for a challenging winter.
During lockdown last winter, the UK population was hardly exposed to the viruses which normally circulate. But they are now set to make a comeback as restrictions lift and society opens up.
Report author Prof Azra Ghani, from Imperial College London, says their modelling suggests a summer peak of Covid-19 infections “with subsequent local outbreaks over winter”.
But “we can’t completely rule out another winter wave”, she said.
“Whilst we expect the peak in deaths to be considerably lower than last winter, under some scenarios we could see hospital admissions rise to similar levels.”
There has been a significant rise in young people presenting at A&E with respiratory viruses whilst New Zealand has seen a significant increase in their winter season of RSV among Children.
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