Norovirus cases reach highest levels this winter as NHS warns of ‘second surge’

Norovirus cases have reached its highest level this winter as NHS England warns services could be facing a ‘second surge’.

Latest figures show the average number of patients in hospital with the illness each day this week rose to over 1,000 for the first time this winter.

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This was an increase of 8.9% in cases compared with the previous week, with the average number of norovirus patients in hospitals per day rising by more than 2.5 times from the start to the end of January.

The news comes after norovirus cases had briefly stabilised in the first week of February, as suggested by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

However, figures have now been rising again for the second week in a row, prompting fears of a ‘second surge’.

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NHS England has urged the public to help prevent the spread of norovirus, commonly known as the ‘vomiting bug’, by taking preventative measures including good hand hygiene and avoiding schools and places of work until they have been symptom-free for two days.

NHS national medical director, Dr Claire Fuller, said: ‘It’s vital that we do all we can to avoid a second surge in norovirus at a time when the NHS remains flat out coping with winter pressures.’

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The NHS started to see a sharp rise in cases of norovirus at the beginning of the year, pushing hospital bed occupancy in England to its highest level since the Covid-19 pandemic.

This week, the average daily number of adult hospital beds closed due to norovirus symptoms was also up by 8.2% on last week and has risen by over 190% on the first full week of January.