British health officials on Wednesday (September 28) warned that increased circulation of flu and a resurgence in Covid-19 could lead to a difficult winter that
increases pressure on the already stretched NHS.
Warnings over a possible "twindemic" of Covid-19 and flu have been issued each winter since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020, but Covid
restrictions that limited social contact have meant flu levels stayed low.
However, the government ended coronavirus restrictions earlier this year, meaning that social contact rates have returned to near pre-pandemic norms while immunity
to flu is relatively low.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said that given the risk it was important those eligible took up vaccines against Covid and flu.
"There are strong indications we could be facing the threat of widely circulating flu, lower levels of natural immunity due to less exposure over the last three
winters and an increase in Covid-19 circulating," said Susan Hopkins, chief medical advisor at UKHSA.