More than 14,500 flu-associated deaths are estimated to have occurred in England during the 2022/23 season, the highest number since 2017/18, figures show. A further 5,500 deaths are likely to be linked to extreme cold weather - the highest level for a decade.
Health services faced a hat-trick of pressures last winter, with a fresh surge of coronavirus >Covid-19 infections coinciding with the first major wave of flu since the start of the pandemic, plus a period of very cold temperatures. The impact of the flu was greater due to "lower population immunity", with little or no flu circulating during the previous two winters when Covid control measures were in place, experts said.
Flu vaccines "helped prevent a much worse winter", however. An estimated 14,623 flu-associated deaths took place in England during the 2022/23 season, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
