Cases of flu are continuing to soar as the latest data showed the number of hospital patients in England with the illness was five times higher than at the beginning of December. Data published on Thursday by NHS England showed there were 5,

The number of flu patients in hospital has risen across England for the sixth week in a row, figures released on Thursday morning show. Multiple hospitals declared or continued critical incidents this week, the highest NHS alert level, as the surge in respiratory cases overwhelmed accident and emergency departments.

The number of flu patients in hospital in England is nearly five times the figure at the start of last month. NHS England has published its latest monthly performance data for hospitals, along with this week’s snapshot of winter virus levels and A&E pressures. Here are the key figures from both reports: