Additional NHS vaccine clinics in Cornwall to protect against flu

Additional walk-in NHS flu clinics are being organised to help protect people against the flu.

NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly said clinics would be available between 15 and 18 December, after NHS England said an average of 2,660 patients per day were in a hospital bed with flu last week – the highest ever for this time of year and up 55% up on last week.

Dr David Strain, associate professor the University of Exeter medical school, said the variant of the H3N2 influenza had arrived about two weeks earlier than in previous years, and added: “We are very used to dealing with that here in the South West given our population”.

He said there was “no evidence” that it was making people sicker.

The version circulating this winter is H3N2 “subclade K”, a type of seasonal influenza A virus.

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust issued a “last chance call” for people to get their flu jab to be protected ahead of Christmas.

It said latest data showed the number of people in the South West in hospital with flu had gone up from an average of 79 a day in the week to 30 November to 139 a day in the last week to 7 December.

Dr Strain said the term “super flu” was adding to concern.

He said: “It’s just happening a fair bit earlier than it usually does, which means we’re seeing hospitalisations 50% or even twice as high as we normally see them at this time of year.”

“It’s got a little bit of a mutation that makes it different from versions that we may have had recently or may have been exposed to, which means the natural protection you may have had from previous infections isn’t there for this one,” he added.

“And that’s why we’re seeing these infections rising slightly quicker.”

He said those eligible for the flu vaccination should get it as soon as possible.

“It takes about 10 days to two weeks to get the benefit from the vaccine, so actually the vaccine that you get now, will be beneficial when we expect this to start hitting its peak. That will be a real drive of getting its peak down quicker,” he added.