The current 2025 flu season in the UK is proving unusually harsh and early, with hospital admissions surging far beyond normal expectations. According to the latest data from NHS England, an average of 1,717 patients per day were occupying hospital beds with flu during the week leading up to early December.
That figure marks a 56% increase compared with the same week in 2024, when roughly 1,098 flu patients were hospitalised daily, and is dramatically higher than at the same point in 2023 (~ 243) or 2022 (~ 772). Among these hospitalised patients, 69 were in critical care, a sharp increase from 39 in critical care at this time last year.
Health official warnings suggest this surge may be only the beginning: flu season “started unusually early this year” and “has yet to peak,” raising fears of further hospital pressure heading into the winter holidays.
One report noted last winter’s pressure on the wider healthcare system: from 2024 to 2025, the flu reportedly caused 7,757 excess deaths in England, more than double the 3,555 recorded the previous year, though this remains below the peak seen in 2022-23.
Additionally, the strain on services has not been limited to flu. Emergency departments have also faced heavier demand from other seasonal viruses (like norovirus and RSV) and non-urgent cases, further compounding capacity issues.
What This Means for Sampling & Diagnostics This Flu Season
With such a steep rise in flu hospitalisations, especially early in the season and before the usual winter peak, there is a heightened demand for diagnostic testing, early detection, and efficient sampling to support patient management and infection control.
This is where SIGMA-VIROCULT® comes in as a valuable asset:
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As a viral specimen collection and transport medium, SIGMA VIROCULT® enables safe, reliable collection and transport of respiratory samples (e.g. throat or nasal swabs), maintaining viral integrity from bedside to lab.
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In a high-pressure environment with rapidly increasing hospital flu cases, having robust, easy-to-use sampling kits helps healthcare providers scale up testing, facilitating prompt diagnosis, cohorting of patients, and effective infection-control measures.
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By supporting efficient sampling throughput, SIGMA-VIROCULT® can reduce diagnostic delays, enabling hospitals to better manage the surge in admissions and potentially reduce onward transmission, which is especially critical when the system is near capacity.
- SIGMA-VIROCULT® is compatible with POCT systems, allowing rapid screening within busy hospital A&E departments.
Why Early, High-Volume Flu Season Sampling Matters More Than Ever
Given that this season has started earlier than usual and hospital occupancy for flu is already at record levels for this time of year, the need for rapid, high-volume testing and sampling is more important than ever.
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Early detection helps ensure that vulnerable patients (e.g. older adults) are identified quickly and receive appropriate care, possibly preventing progression to critical illness.
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Faster sample processing helps hospitals make informed bed-management decisions and avoid unnecessary spread within wards.
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In the context of coinciding pressures from flu, RSV, norovirus, and even ongoing COVID or respiratory virus activity, diagnostic clarity becomes vital to triage, isolate, and treat effectively.
Using tools like SIGMA-VIROCULT® can make a real difference in managing testing loads and supporting overworked labs and hospital teams.
What Does This Mean For You?
The current UK flu season appears on course to be among the toughest in recent years, thanks to an unusually early start, sharply rising hospital admissions, and a system already stretched by other seasonal viruses and non-urgent demand. The statistics are stark: a 56% increase in hospital flu cases over last year, critical care numbers rising, and thousands of excess deaths last winter.
In this context, reliable, scalable sampling systems like SIGMA-VIROCULT® are convenient and essential. They offer a practical way to manage the diagnostic burden, safeguard hospital capacity, and help healthcare workers respond quickly to what could become one of the worst flu seasons in decades.
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