Interesting to note that in the UK, flu ICU admissions just overtook COVID ICU admissions for the first time in at least a year, and almost certainly for the first time since the pandemic began. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-reports-2022-to-2023-season…

(sorry, England, not UK)

Also of interest is that on a range of metrics, flu positivity rates are also now much higher than COVID rates. Although it should be stressed there will be much less, if any, flu testing for those not presenting at a healthcare setting with respiratory symptoms.

The main point around ICU for me is that this isn't being driven by big drops in COVID ICU (that is still generally down trending though) but that flu is taking off, early. Some crazy high +ivity rates (with the previous tweet caveat in mind)

Get your flu jab if eligible (and consider getting it private if not - it's cheap!)

This is probably a timely reminder of three things: 1) flu has probably become perceived as a lesser disease due to the COVID comparison of the last 2 years. It's not, and it kills. 2) in particular, flu affects the very young more, and has a different age profile of severity.

3) this growth is happening in the context of a failing emergency care system in the UK. And is likely to cause significant additional pressure. On point 2 it's good to see flu vac uptake in the young being up on prior years.

Useful tempering context to my editorialising of +ivity rates here (thanks @John Roberts ) https://x.com/john_actuary/status/1596226189739294722?t=i6sUSS8wMeV7URyqbA6-jQ&s=19…