Flu this week: UKHSA data for England to 25 October 2026

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) publishes its national flu and COVID-19 surveillance report every Thursday. The report published on 29 October 2026 covers the week from 19 to 25 October (week 43). This page summarises the main figures for England.

The headline figures

Measure	Week to 25 Oct	Week before	UKHSA assessment
Flu test positivity (laboratory surveillance)	6.6%	6.4%	Stable, low
Flu positivity in GP swabs	11.0%	7.8%	Increasing, low
Flu hospital admissions per 100,000	2.47	2.38	Stable, low
Flu intensive care admissions per 100,000	0.12	0.08	Increasing, low
GP consultations for flu-like illness per 100,000	6.5	6.5	Stable, baseline
COVID-19 test positivity in hospital settings	8.3%	8.8%	Decreasing, low
COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000	2.76	2.65	Stable, low
RSV test positivity (laboratory surveillance)	1.5%	0.9%	Increasing, baseline
RSV hospital admissions per 100,000	0.52	0.31	Increasing, baseline

Source: UKHSA weekly surveillance report, 29 October 2026. The week before figures are as given in this report and may differ slightly from those published last week. The flu admission rate is now in UKHSA's low impact range for this season, which runs from 2.15 to less than 7.13 per 100,000.

Who is most affected

Flu A positivity was highest among children aged 5 to 11, at 16.6%, up from 11.3% the week before. Flu B positivity was also highest in that age group, at 1.8%. Hospital admission rates for flu were highest among people aged 85 and over, at 12.78 per 100,000. RSV positivity was highest among children aged under 5, at 10.1%, up from 7.8%, and the RSV hospital admission rate for under 5s rose to 6.56 per 100,000 from 4.25. Emergency department attendances for flu-like illness increased and were above seasonally expected levels.

UKHSA's consultant epidemiologist Dr Alex Allen said that flu remains at low levels but that cases usually rise during November, and that rhinovirus, the common cold, is still the most widely circulating respiratory virus.

Vaccination so far

By 25 October, 53.6% of people aged 65 and over had received this season's flu vaccine, compared with 56.9% at the same point last season. Uptake among people aged 6 months to under 65 in clinical risk groups was 24.8%, against 26.2% last year. Uptake among pregnant women was higher than last year, at 29.1% against 27.8%. UKHSA notes that a data issue affected some figures in last week's report and has been corrected from this week.

The free NHS flu vaccine is offered to people aged 65 and over (including those who will be 65 by 31 March 2027), people aged 18 to 64 with certain long-term health conditions, pregnant women, care home residents, carers and some other groups. See the NHS flu vaccine page for the full list and how to book.

Norovirus

UKHSA reports that norovirus activity has stabilised in recent weeks and remains within expected levels. Laboratory reports in the two weeks from 12 to 25 October were 39.0% lower than the five-season average for the same period. UKHSA reminds people that alcohol hand gels do not kill norovirus and advises staying off work or school until 48 hours after symptoms stop.

Sithi's forecast

Sithi's independent forecast, issued on 29 October from UKHSA data to the week commencing 19 October, expects flu test positivity in England to rise from about 6.3% to about 12.8% in the week commencing 16 November, with a wide 80% range of 4.9% to 22.1%. The fitted curve currently places the national peak around the week commencing 21 December, a week later than last week's run, and RSV positivity is expected to keep rising towards a peak around late November or early December. Early-season peak timing is uncertain and will move as more data arrives. The full forecast for each region, with its uncertainty, is on the Sithi home page and is explained on the method page.

What to watch next

UKHSA publishes this report weekly on Thursdays, so the next is expected on 5 November. The figures to watch are flu positivity among school-age children and in GP swabs, where it has risen most, and RSV among under 5s. Regional figures are on the UKHSA data dashboard and on our home page.