UKHSA warns adults to ‘stay home’ or ‘wear a face covering’ when out if they feel unwell | UK News

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The chief medical advisor warned adults to stay home when feeling unwell, or to wear face coverings when out in order to reduce the spread of the disease.

Professor Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), added that adults should “not visit people at risk unless it is urgent” when feeling unwell.

“Adults should try to stay home when they are unwell, and if you must go out, wear a face covering. When you are sick, do not visit healthcare settings or visit vulnerable people unless it is urgent,” she said.

The advice comes as part of the UKHSA’s “simple steps” to help protect children and vulnerable individuals as pupils return to schools and universities after the Christmas break.

“It is important to reduce the spread of infection in schools and other settings for education and child care,” Prof Hopkins added, before suggesting that children with a fever or feeling unwell should stay home from school or nursery to help stop the spread of the disease.

The advice comes as a senior NHS chief said on Monday the NHS was under “unbearable pressure”, as pressure was mounting on the government to take action.

Matthew Taylor, president of the NHS Confederation, told Sky News most NHS leaders are saying “this is the toughest winter they’ve ever dealt with”, before adding “we can’t go on like this”.

Serious incidents have also been called into at least seven health agencies, Sky News understands.

The spread of influenza and COVID is at high levels

The United States Health Services Authority (UKHSA) has warned that both influenza and COVID-19 are “currently circulating at high levels,” and are likely to continue to increase in the coming weeks.

Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London and founder of the COVID Zoe app, also highlighted the Omicron variant after a scientist said cases had doubled in America in a week.

Large numbers of scarlet fever, caused by group A streptococcus (Strep A), are still being reported in the UK. At least 30 children have died in the UK from the invasive Strep A bacteria, and across all age groups in England, there have been 122 deaths from the virus.

Other ways to prevent the spread of disease include “catching coughs and sneezes into a tissue and then disposing of it”, motivating children to practice good hygiene, and getting a flu shot.

He urged Prof Hopkins to “remember that the influenza vaccine remains available to all eligible groups and is the best protection against the virus”.

“We have seen good uptake in older age groups, but vaccination among young children is still low.

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0:31 Pressure on NHS now ‘worse than peak COVID’

“The flu can be very unpleasant and in some cases can lead to more serious illness. Having your child vaccinated protects them and others they come into contact with, and it’s never too late.”

Children eligible for the flu vaccine include those between the ages of two and three on August 31, 2022, all children of elementary school age and some children of high school age.

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