Flu cases in the North West have levelled out in line with the national trend, but the Health Protection Agency urges caution as the latest figures will have been affected by GP and school closures over the Christmas and New Year period.
National figures show that 70 percent of over 65s and 45.5 per cent of under 65s in at risk groups have been vaccinated. 40 per cent of pregnant women in at risk groups have been vaccinated.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) and the Department of Health (DH) are reporting the latest national flu data each week (see link below). This includes data on the types of flu circulating, levels of severe disease, the age/sex of people affected, the number of people on ECMO, the number of deaths and vaccination uptake data.
How many people are in critical care beds as a result of flu?
As of Wednesday 5 January there are 108 patients in critical care across the North West, who have been confirmed as having seasonal flu. In addition there are 55 suspected cases awaiting laboratory testing.
The figures are as follows:
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Cumbria and Lancashire are 26 confirmed and 7 suspected cases;
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Greater Manchester 46 confirmed and 33 suspected cases;
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Cheshire and Merseyside is 35 confirmed and 15 suspected cases.
In recent weeks several people have needed specialist emergency treatment due to lung failure, using machines which pump oxygen into the blood outside the body (ECMO). Pregnant women and those with underlying health conditions are among those most vulnerable to the complications of H1N1.
So how many critical care beds are free at the moment?
The availability of critical care beds changes on an hourly basis. This is because as soon as patients are stabilised in critical care, they are moved to other units. For this reason it is not possible to give an accurate figure of how many beds are available, or how many additional critical care beds are being used.
