This report belongs to a weekly series summarising the Covid situation across the UK's home nations and other countries.

This week’s report highlights the latest trends in respiratory illness activity across England, with updated figures for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It also shares recent Covid levels in selected countries in Europe and North America, and wraps up with details on the Spring booster campaign in the UK.

Charts for the USA and Canada were updated on Friday, April 24 to reflect the latest published data.

Summary.

Once again, the key Covid indicators across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland stayed very low this week, with many hitting record lows, indicating a minimal level of risk.

Flu activity has remained at baseline levels across all home nations, following typical out-of-season patterns, confirming that this year’s flu season is over.

In England, all key hospital indicators of Covid activity have remained well within baseline levels. Flu cases also fell and are circulating at baseline levels.

In Scotland, all indicators for Covid remained at baseline levels and hospital admissions are again at record low levels. The BA.3.2 Covid variant remains dominant in Scotland but has not led to any increase in activity.

In Wales, Covid hospital admissions have fallen slowly over the past few months and are now at their lowest ever level. Flu and RSV cases needing hospitalisation remain very low and are at out-of-season levels.

In Northern Ireland, Covid activity remained at very low levels across all surveillance indicators. Flu and RSV activity was also stable and at baseline levels for all indicators.

Covid levels in wastewater stayed very low across all European countries still reporting this data, with the most countries reporting record low activity.

Currently, the BA.3.2 variant isn’t causing a rise in Covid activity in countries where it’s dominant. However, it seems to affect younger people more, though the risk is much lower than that of Flu.

Deaths due to Covid in England and Wales hit a record low this week, continuing a trend where they made up only 0.2% of all deaths in the first quarter of 2026, compared to 0.5% in 2025 and 1.2% in 2024.

For the week ending April 18, COVID activity across the USA remained at very low levels nationwide. Flu activity also remained at low levels.

The NHS Spring 2026 Covid booster campaign is now open. Free vaccinations are available for adults aged 75 and older by June 30, 2026; residents in care homes for older adults; and immunosuppressed individuals aged 6 months and above.

In the first week of the campaign in England vaccine coverage reached 14.4% for people aged 75 and over, and 7.1% for those who are immunosuppressed.

People registered with a GP surgery in England can check their eligibility and book a vaccination appointment through this link.

Book a Covid Booster

Details of booking a free NHS Covid vaccination in Scotland can be found here, for Wales here, and in Northern Ireland here.

As always, it’s important to remember that the risk of hospitalisation from Covid increases significantly with age and for the clinically vulnerable. Therefore, it is important to take appropriate measures such as self-isolating when experiencing Covid symptoms and enhancing ventilation or wearing masks whenever possible.

Status of main respiratory diseases in England.

This section starts with the latest data on test positivity rates for Covid in England. It’s important to note that positivity is different from prevalence, which reflects the overall percentage of Covid cases in the general population. Appendix 1 offers a more detailed explanation of the distinction.

The following chart shows the test positivity rate for all Covid tests taken mapped against the UKHSA activity thresholds. The thresholds are based on the historical trend for Covid test positivity and, consequently, represent a relative risk. More details on this approach can be found in the Guide to Covid Surveillance Metrics.

The chart shows that the test positivity rate fell to its lowest ever level and continues to be well below the baseline level, indicating a low risk. Positivity rates stayed low in all regions and across all ages, with only slight differences between them.

The following chart highlights four key indicators of Covid in hospitals: weekly Emergency Department visits for Covid-like symptoms, test positivity rates among patients with respiratory issues, hospital admission rates, and admission rates for intensive care.

All key hospital indicators for Covid activity remained at record low levels indicating a very low level of risk.

The following chart shows hospital admission rates per 100,000 for the three main respiratory viruses. Covid and flu admissions are still at historically low levels, while RSV admissions are not currently being reported.

Scotland weekly hospital admissions and test positivity

The Viral Respiratory Diseases in Scotland surveillance report is now published monthly and the April 23, 2026 report can be accessed here. The next release is planned for May 21, 2026.

The latest monthly report confirms that all syndromic respiratory disease indicators remained at baseline activity.

The following panel chart presents the most recent data for Covid levels in wastewater in blue, weekly Covid test positivity shown in red, Covid hospital admissions depicted in orange, and beds occupied by Covid patients in brown.

All Covid indicators in Scotland were at record low levels this week, indicating the risk from the virus remains very low. Covid activity measured by wastewater levels fell to their lowest ever level of 1.3 million gene copies per person per day. Hospitalisations also fell for the tenth consecutive week to just 8, marking yet another record low.

Since January 2026, the BA.3.2 variant has been the dominant strain, making up most of the detected Covid sequences and overtaking the previously leading XFG variant. It is notable that the newly dominant BA.3.2 variant has not led to any increase in Covid activity. However, BA.3.2 appears to affect younger people more with laboratory reporting showing increased test positivity in the 5-14 age group.

The final chart in this section compares the test positivity rates for hospital patients with respiratory symptoms for Covid, Flu, and RSV. All positivity rates stayed below baseline activity levels.

All laboratory-confirmed Flu indicators remained below baseline activity, despite a very small increase in test positivity. Hospital admissions due to Flu also dropped this week to 10 from 12 in the previous week.

RSV activity dropped and remained at baseline out-of-season levels. Test positivity fell slightly, and hospital admissions also fell to 10 from 18 in the previous week.

Wales Covid hospital admissions.

During the winter season, Public Health Wales publishes a weekly respiratory infection report, which is available here. The following chart provides the latest trend for weekly hospital admissions for the main respiratory viruses in Wales up to week ending April 19, 2026.

Covid hospital admissions have fallen slowly over the past few months and once again were very low. Flu and RSV hospital admissions also remained very low.

Flu and RSV are currently below baseline and have dropped to out-of-season levels. As a result, publication of the weekly Acute Respiratory Infection Report for Wales is on hold and will not resume until the 2026-27 season.

Status of main respiratory diseases in Northern Ireland.

Public Health Northern Ireland publish a weekly surveillance report on influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and Covid providing an overview of these infections within Northern Ireland.

The following chart shows the test positivity rates in Northern Ireland for the main respiratory illnesses — Flu, RSV, and Covid and RSV. Shading represents 95% confidence intervals.

The chart shows that the Covid test positivity rate for patients with respiratory illnesses, marked in blue, remained very low this week.

Covid activity stayed low across all surveillance indicators. Flu activity has fallen slightly across all indicators and is at baseline. RSV activity is down as well and is also circulating at baseline levels.

Covid Activity in Other Countries.

This section reviews the latest Covid trends in Europe and North America. In all countries across these regions, cases have dropped and remain much lower than during earlier waves.

The following chart shows latest levels of Covid up to week ending April 16, 2026 as measured by monitoring wastewater in a number of European countries that still publish this information.

This week, Covid levels in wastewater stayed very low across all European countries still sharing this data, with record-low activity reported in Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Austria.

Data for the USA and Canada was updated on Friday, April 24 to reflect the latest information.

As of week ending Apr 18, 2026 Covid activity in the USA fell and and is now very low, though the situation varies across different parts of the country.

The following chart shows the weekly trend for the national key Covid indicators covering wastewater activity levels, percent of emergency department visits due to Covid, test positivity, and the hospital admission rate in the USA.

The panel chart shows that Covid wastewater viral activity levels continued to fall slowly and has stayed within the very low activity level for the week ending Apr 18, 2026. Emergency department visits, test positivity, and hospital admissions again fell and remained at record low levels.

Wastewater analysis shows that Covid levels are also falling and low or very low in most states as illustrated in the following map. Each state is coloured based on activity levels, ranging from very high (dark red) to very low (light green), with grey indicating no data available. States with increasing activity levels are marked with cross-hatching.

The interactive map lets you hover over any state using your cursor to see more details about wastewater viral activity levels. It shows data from states nationwide for the week ending April 18, 2026.

The next chart compares the percentage of Emergency Department visits caused by Covid and Flu. It shows that while Covid activity has now dropped to a low level, flu activity also fell and is at low levels nationwide.

Turning to Canada, the data for week ending April 18, 2026, shows that Covid wastewater levels continues to fall slowly and is at very low levels. Data for the other respiratory viruses is only available up Apr 11. Flu A activity has stayed very low, while Flu B activity has peaked although it remains high.

Spring 2026 Covid Booster campaign.

The NHS Spring Covid booster campaign started on April 13, 2026. People aged 75 years and older, residents in care homes for older people, and those aged 6 months and over with a weakened immune system will be offered a dose of the Covid vaccine this spring. These are same criteria used for the Autumn 2025 booster campaign.

This year’s Spring vaccination campaign started slightly later than in previous years and will run to the end of June. However, outreach efforts to administer vaccines in underserved communities will continue after this date.

For the Spring 2026 booster campaign, approved mRNA vaccines from Moderna (Spikevax LP.8.1), as well as a protein-based vaccine from Sanofi (Nuvaxovid JN.1), are being used for those aged 18 years and older. These vaccines are updated variants targeted at recent Omicron strains unlike the Pfizer vaccine used for the Autumn 2025 campaign.

Full details of eligibility and the vaccines being used for the Spring campaign can be found in the UK Governments Green Book published here.

The following chart shows the number of Covid vaccinations given by week for each of the booster campaigns in England.

During the first week of the Spring 2026 campaign, 999,902 booster doses were given, providing 14.4% coverage for people aged 75 and older and 7.1% coverage for those who are immunosuppressed. This is slightly higher than the first week of the Spring 2025 campaign, but 140,870 fewer than the Autumn 2025 campaign, which had the same group of people eligible.

In conclusion

Although the amount of data currently being published is reduced, the information available for all home nations show that Covid activity is low. Flu activity has fallen from its recent peak and is now at baseline out-of-season levels.

Covid levels in wastewater are very low across European countries. In the USA, Covid activity has dipped slightly and stayed at very low levels, except in a few states. Flu A activity in both the USA and Canada have dropped to low levels, while Flu B remains high in Canada, though it has already peaked.

As always, if you have any comments on this Covid Situation Report or suggestions for topics to cover, please post a message below.

Appendix 1. Test positivity rates and prevalence

Positivity rates are derived from the results of hospital laboratory tests conducted on patients exhibiting symptoms of respiratory diseases. Test positivity is the percentage of patients who test positive for Covid of the total number of patients tested. Since the individuals tested for this measure are not a representative sample of the general population it differs from prevalence, which is derived from a representative sample of the population.

This report belongs to a weekly series summarising the Covid situation across the UK's home nations and other countries.

This week’s report highlights the latest trends in respiratory illness activity across England, with updated figures for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It also shares recent Covid levels in selected countries in Europe and North America, and wraps up with the latest update on Covid-related deaths in England and Wales.

Charts for the USA and Canada were updated on Friday, April 17 to reflect the latest published data.

Summary.

Once again, the key Covid indicators in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland remained very low this week, indicating a low level of risk.

Flu activity has remained at baseline levels across all home nations, following typical out-of-season patterns, confirming that this year’s flu season is over.

In England, all key hospital indicators of Covid activity have remained well within baseline levels. Flu and RSV cases also fell and are circulating at baseline levels.

In Scotland, all indicators for Covid remained at baseline levels and hospital admissions are again at record low levels. The BA.3.2 Covid variant remains dominant in Scotland but has not led to any increase in activity.

In Wales, Covid hospital admissions have fallen slowly over the past few months and are now at their lowest ever level. Flu and RSV cases needing hospitalisation remain very low and are at out-of-season levels.

In Northern Ireland, Covid activity remained at very low levels across all surveillance indicators. Flu and RSV activity was also stable and at baseline levels for all indicators.

Covid levels in wastewater stayed very low across all European countries still reporting this data, with the Netherlands, and Denmark reporting record low activity.

Currently, the BA.3.2 variant isn’t causing a rise in Covid activity in countries where it’s dominant. However, it seems to affect younger people more, though the risk is much lower than that of Flu.

Deaths due to Covid in England and Wales hit a record low this week, continuing a trend where they made up only 0.2% of all deaths in the first quarter of 2026, compared to 0.5% in 2025 and 1.2% in 2024.

For the week ending April 11, COVID activity across the USA remained at very low levels nationwide. Flu activity also fell to low levels.

The NHS Spring 2026 Covid booster campaign is now open. Free vaccinations are available for adults aged 75 and older by June 30, 2026; residents in care homes for older adults; and immunosuppressed individuals aged 6 months and above.

People registered with a GP surgery in England can check their eligibility and book a vaccination appointment through this link.

Book a Covid Booster

Details of booking a free NHS Covid vaccination in Scotland can be found here, for Wales here, and in Northern Ireland here.

As always, it’s important to remember that the risk of hospitalisation from Covid increases significantly with age and for the clinically vulnerable. Therefore, it is important to take appropriate measures such as self-isolating when experiencing Covid symptoms and enhancing ventilation or wearing masks whenever possible.

Status of main respiratory diseases in England.

This section starts with the latest data on test positivity rates for Covid in England. It’s important to note that positivity is different from prevalence, which reflects the overall percentage of Covid cases in the general population. Appendix 1 offers a more detailed explanation of the distinction.

The following chart shows the test positivity rate for all Covid tests taken mapped against the UKHSA activity thresholds. The thresholds are based on the historical trend for Covid test positivity and, consequently, represent a relative risk. More details on this approach can be found in the Guide to Covid Surveillance Metrics.

The chart shows that the test positivity rate fell slightly this week and continues to be well below the baseline level, indicating a low risk. Positivity rates stayed low in all regions and across all ages, with only slight differences between them.

The following chart highlights four key indicators of Covid in hospitals: weekly Emergency Department visits for Covid-like symptoms, test positivity rates among patients with respiratory issues, hospital admission rates, and admission rates for intensive care.

All key hospital indicators for Covid activity remained at historically low levels indicating a low level of risk.

The following chart shows hospital admission rates per 100,000 for the three main respiratory viruses. Covid admissions remain at historic lows, while Flu and RSV cases have peaked and are at baseline activity levels.

Scotland weekly hospital admissions and test positivity

The final weekly Viral respiratory diseases in Scotland surveillance report for this season can be accessed here. The surveillance report will now be issued monthly with the next release planned for April 23, 2026.

The following panel chart presents the most recent data for Covid levels in wastewater in blue, weekly Covid test positivity shown in red, Covid hospital admissions depicted in orange, and beds occupied by Covid patients in brown.

All Covid indicators in Scotland remained at very low levels this week, indicating the risk from the virus remains very low.

This week, Covid test positivity fell once again to 0.3%, with overall activity well below baseline levels. Hospitalisations dropped for the ninth consecutive week to just 11, marking yet another record low.

Since January 2026, the BA.3.2 variant has been the dominant strain, making up most of the detected Covid sequences and overtaking the previously leading XFG variant. It is notable that the newly dominant BA.3.2 variant has not led to any increase in Covid activity.

The final chart in this section compares the test positivity rates for hospital patients with respiratory symptoms for Covid, Flu, and RSV. All positivity rates stayed below baseline activity levels.

All laboratory-confirmed Flu indicators remained at baseline activity, with a slight fall in overall test positivity. Hospital admissions due to Flu also dropped this week to 10 from 22 in the previous week.

RSV activity dropped and remained at baseline out-of-season levels. Test positivity dropped, and hospital admissions also fell to 15 from 22 in the previous week.

Wales Covid hospital admissions.

During the winter season, Public Health Wales publishes a weekly respiratory infection report, which is available here. The following chart provides the latest trend for weekly hospital admissions for the main respiratory viruses in Wales up to week ending April 12, 2026.

Covid hospital admissions have fallen slowly over the past few months and once again are at their lowest ever level. Flu and RSV hospital admissions also remained very low.

Flu and RSV are currently below baseline and have dropped to out-of-season levels. As a result, publication of the weekly Acute Respiratory Infection Report for Wales is on hold and will not resume until the 2026-27 season.

Status of main respiratory diseases in Northern Ireland.

Public Health Northern Ireland publish a weekly surveillance report on influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and Covid providing an overview of these infections within Northern Ireland.

The following chart shows the test positivity rates in Northern Ireland for the main respiratory illnesses — Flu, RSV, and Covid and RSV. Shading represents 95% confidence intervals.

The chart shows that the Covid test positivity rate for patients with respiratory illnesses, marked in blue, remained very low this week.

Covid activity stayed low across all surveillance indicators. Flu activity has fallen slightly across all indicators and is now at baseline. RSV activity is down as well and is also circulating at baseline levels.

Covid Activity in Other Countries.

This section reviews the latest Covid trends in Europe and North America. In all countries across these regions, cases have dropped and remain much lower than during earlier waves.

The following chart shows latest levels of Covid up to week ending April 9, 2026 as measured by monitoring wastewater in a number of European countries that still publish this information.

This week, Covid levels in wastewater stayed very low across all European countries still sharing this data, with record-low activity reported everywhere except France.

Data for the USA and Canada was updated on Friday, April 17 to reflect the latest information.

As of week ending Apr 11, 2026 Covid activity in the USA fell and and is now very low, though the situation varies across different parts of the country.

The following chart shows the weekly trend for the national key Covid indicators covering wastewater activity levels, percent of emergency department visits due to Covid, test positivity, and the hospital admission rate in the USA.

The panel chart shows that Covid wastewater viral activity levels continued to fall slowly and has stayed within the very low activity level for the week ending Apr 11, 2026. Emergency department visits, test positivity, and hospital admissions also fell and remained at record low levels.

Wastewater analysis shows that Covid levels are also falling and low or very low in most states as illustrated in the following map. Each state is coloured based on activity levels, ranging from very high (dark red) to very low (light green), with grey indicating no data available. States with increasing activity levels are marked with cross-hatching.

The interactive map lets you hover over any state using your cursor to see more details about wastewater viral activity levels. It shows data from states nationwide for the week ending April 11, 2026.

The next chart compares the percentage of Emergency Department visits caused by Covid and Flu. It shows that while Covid activity has now dropped to a low level, flu activity also fell and is at low levels nationwide.

Turning to Canada, the data for week ending April 11, 2026, shows that Covid wastewater levels continues to fall slowly and is at very low levels. Flu A activity has stayed very low, while Flu B activity has peaked although it remains relatively high.

Covid deaths in England and Wales

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) releases weekly reports on deaths listed on certificates due to or involving Covid. The data covers both England and Wales.

The first chart in this section shows the cumulative number of deaths from the start of the pandemic due to Covid, where Covid is listed as the primary cause of death on the death certificate. To show the varying impact of different variants, the colour changes when a new variant becomes dominant.

The chart shows the major impact of the Alpha variant from September 2020 to March 2021, which, while slightly less virulent, was far more transmissible than the original Wuhan strain. From March to June 2021, the death rate nearly levelled off as most people were vaccinated and lockdown restrictions eased. Starting in July 2021, a series of even more transmissible variants—first Delta, then Omicron—took over, causing the death rate to rise, though their impact was much less severe than Alpha’s.

Since 2024, several variants have become dominant and grown in prevalence, but none have caused a significant spike in the death rate, which has steadily declined during this time. The next chart illustrates this fall by comparing weekly deaths due to Covid in England and Wales across 2024 and 2025 with those in the first quarter of 2026.

The chart shows that deaths due to Covid are at there lowest ever level with just 11 deaths reported for the week ending April 3, 2026. This has been a continuing trend as deaths due to Covid were lower in almost every week of 2025 compared to the same weeks in 2024.

The final chart, showing the cumulative Covid deaths for those same years, makes this even clearer.

In 2025, there were 3,087 deaths, less than half the 6,593 recorded in 2024. More notably, this made up 0.54% of all deaths in 2025, a drop from 1.17% the year before. By the first quarter of 2026, the share of deaths due to Covid had fallen even further to just 0.22%.

In conclusion

Although the amount of data currently being published is reduced, the information available for all home nations show that Covid activity is low. Flu activity has fallen from its recent peak and is now at baseline out-of-season levels.

Covid levels in wastewater are very low across European countries. In the USA, Covid activity has dipped slightly and stayed at very low levels, except in a few states. Flu A activity in both the USA and Canada have dropped to low levels, while Flu B remains high in Canada, though it has already peaked.

As always, if you have any comments on this Covid Situation Report or suggestions for topics to cover, please post a message below.

Appendix 1. Test positivity rates and prevalence

Positivity rates are derived from the results of hospital laboratory tests conducted on patients exhibiting symptoms of respiratory diseases. Test positivity is the percentage of patients who test positive for Covid of the total number of patients tested. Since the individuals tested for this measure are not a representative sample of the general population it differs from prevalence, which is derived from a representative sample of the population.

This report belongs to a weekly series summarising the Covid situation across the UK's home nations and other countries.

This week's report covers the latest weekly indicators of respiratory illness activity for England, along with the most recent data for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The report also presents the data on Covid levels in selected countries in Europe and North America.

Charts for the USA and Canada were updated on Friday, April 10 to reflect the latest published data.

Summary.

Once again, the key Covid indicators in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland remained very low this week, indicating a low level of risk.

Flu activity has returned to baseline levels across all home nations, following typical out-of-season patterns, confirming that this year’s flu season has come to an end.

In England, all key hospital indicators of Covid activity have stayed well within baseline levels. Flu and RSV cases also fell and are circulating at baseline levels.

In Scotland, all indicators for Covid remained at baseline levels and hospital admissions are at record low levels. The BA.3.2 Covid variant remains dominant in Scotland but has not led to any increase in activity.

In Wales, Covid hospital admissions have fallen slowly over the past few months and are now at their lowest ever level. Flu and RSV cases needing hospitalisation remain very low and are now at out-of-season levels.

In Northern Ireland, Covid activity stayed at very low levels across all surveillance indicators. Flu and RSV activity was also stable and at baseline levels for all indicators.

Covid levels in wastewater stayed very low across all European countries still reporting this data, with the Netherlands, and Denmark reporting record low activity.

Currently, the BA.3.2 variant isn’t causing a rise in Covid activity in countries where it’s dominant. However, it seems to affect younger people more, though the risk is much lower than that of Flu.

For the week ending April 4, COVID activity across the USA remained at very low levels nationwide. Flu activity also fell this week, with wastewater levels now very low in most states.

Covid cases in Hong Kong have stayed very low for six months, while in New Zealand, activity rose in recent months but is now on the decline.

The NHS Spring 2026 Covid booster campaign is set to run from April 13 to June 30, 2026 and will use the same eligibility criteria as the Autumn 2025 campaign.

As always, it’s important to remember that the risk of hospitalisation from Covid increases significantly with age and for the clinically vulnerable. Therefore, it is important to take appropriate measures such as self-isolating when experiencing Covid symptoms and enhancing ventilation or wearing masks whenever possible.

Status of main respiratory diseases in England.

This section starts with the latest data on test positivity rates for Covid in England. It’s important to note that positivity is different from prevalence, which reflects the overall percentage of Covid cases in the general population. Appendix 1 offers a more detailed explanation of the distinction.

The following chart shows the test positivity rate for all Covid tests taken mapped against the UKHSA activity thresholds. The thresholds are based on the historical trend for Covid test positivity and, consequently, represent a relative risk. More details on this approach can be found in the Guide to Covid Surveillance Metrics.

The chart shows that the test positivity rate fell slightly this week and continues to be well below the baseline level, indicating a low risk. Positivity rates stayed low in all regions, with only slight differences between them.

The following chart highlights four key indicators of Covid in hospitals: weekly Emergency Department visits for Covid-like symptoms, test positivity rates among patients with respiratory issues, hospital admission rates, and admission rates for intensive care.

All key hospital indicators for Covid activity remained at historically low levels indicating a low level of risk.

The following chart shows hospital admission rates per 100,000 for the three main respiratory viruses. Covid admissions remain at historic lows, while Flu and RSV cases have peaked and are at baseline activity levels.

Scotland weekly hospital admissions and test positivity

The final weekly Viral respiratory diseases in Scotland surveillance report for this season can be accessed here. The surveillance report will now be issued monthly before restarting weekly publication from October 8, 2026.

The following panel chart presents the most recent data for Covid levels in wastewater in blue, weekly Covid test positivity shown in red, Covid hospital admissions depicted in orange, and beds occupied by Covid patients in brown.

All Covid indicators in Scotland remained at record low levels this week, indicating the risk from the virus remains very low.

This week, Covid test positivity fell slightly to 0.6%, with overall activity below baseline levels. Hospitalisations dropped for the eighth straight week to just 14, marking yet another record low.

Since January 2026, the BA.3.2 variant has been the dominant strain, making up most of the detected Covid sequences and overtaking the previously leading XFG variant. It is notable that the newly dominant BA.3.2 variant has not led to any increase in Covid activity.

The final chart in this section compares the test positivity rates for hospital patients with respiratory symptoms for Covid, Flu, and RSV. All positivity rates stayed below baseline activity levels.

All laboratory-confirmed Flu indicators remained at baseline activity, with a slight increase in overall test positivity. However, hospital admissions due to Flu remained steady at 21, just one more than the previous week.

RSV activity dropped and remained at baseline out-of-season levels. Test positivity dropped, and hospital admissions also decreased to 22 from 29 in the previous week.

Wales Covid hospital admissions.

During the winter season, Public Health Wales publishes a weekly respiratory infection report, which is available here. The following chart provides the latest trend for weekly hospital admissions for the main respiratory viruses in Wales up to week ending April 5, 2026.

Covid hospital admissions have fallen slowly over the past few months and are now at their lowest ever level. Flu and RSV cases needing hospitalisation remained very low.

This weeks Weekly Acute Respiratory Infection Report confirms that Flu and RSV are currently below baseline and have dropped to out-of-season levels. As a result, reports on hospital admissions for acute respiratory infections will be put on hold and resume in the 2026-27 season.

Status of main respiratory diseases in Northern Ireland.

Public Health Northern Ireland publish a weekly surveillance report on influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and Covid providing an overview of these infections within Northern Ireland.

The following chart shows the test positivity rates in Northern Ireland for the main respiratory illnesses — Flu, RSV, and Covid and RSV. Shading represents 95% confidence intervals.

The chart shows that the Covid test positivity rate for patients with respiratory illnesses, marked in blue, continued to fall this week and remained very low.

Covid activity has dropped across all surveillance indicators, with levels remaining low. Flu activity has also fallen across all indicators and is now at baseline. RSV activity is down as well and is also circulating at baseline levels.

Covid Activity in Other Countries.

This section reviews the latest Covid trends in Europe, North America, and the Western Pacific. In most countries across these regions, cases have dropped and remain lower than during earlier waves. The exception is New Zealand, where Covid activity is gradually increasing.

The following chart shows latest levels of Covid up to week ending April 2, 2026 as measured by monitoring wastewater in a number of European countries that still publish this information.

This week, Covid levels in wastewater remained low across all European countries still reporting this data, with the Netherlands, and Denmark all reporting record low activity levels. This week, Sweden’s data wasn’t released and was substituted with Switzerland’s.

Data for the USA and Canada was updated on Friday, April 10 to reflect the latest information.

As of week ending Apr 4, 2026 Covid activity in the USA fell and and is now very low, though the situation varies across different parts of the country.

The following chart shows the weekly trend for the national key Covid indicators covering wastewater activity levels, percent of emergency department visits due to Covid, test positivity, and the hospital admission rate in the USA.

The panel chart shows that Covid wastewater viral activity levels continued to fall slowly and is stayed within the very low activity level for the week ending Apr 4, 2026. Emergency department visits, test positivity, and hospital admissions also fell and remained at low levels.

Wastewater analysis shows that Covid levels are also falling and low or very low in most states as illustrated in the following map. Each state is coloured based on activity levels, ranging from very high (dark red) to very low (light green), with grey indicating no data available. States with increasing activity levels are marked with cross-hatching.

The interactive map lets you hover over any state using your cursor to see more details about wastewater viral activity levels. It shows data from states nationwide for the week ending April 4, 2026.

The next chart compares the percentage of Emergency Department visits caused by Covid and Flu. It shows that while Covid activity has now dropped to a low level, flu activity also fell and is approaching low levels nationwide.

Wastewater measurements also show that Flu activity is declining in most states, with all but Montana, West Virginia, and Alaska reporting very low levels.

Turning to Canada, the data for week ending March 28, 2026, shows that Covid wastewater levels fell significantly and are now at very low levels. Flu A activity has stayed very low, while Flu B activity continued to increase and remained at high levels.

This chart shows the key Covid activity indicators for Hong Kong up to week ending March 21, 2026, highlighting that activity has stayed low over the past six months.

In contrast, New Zealand presents a mixed picture, with Covid levels in wastewater climbing since the start of the year, even as reported cases stay relatively low. However, the most recent data shows that Covid activity is now falling suggesting this recent small wave is over.

You can find more information about local Covid activity levels in New Zealand here.

In conclusion

Although the amount of data currently being published is reduced, the information available for all home nations show that Covid activity is low. Flu activity has fallen from its recent peak and is now at baseline out-of-season levels.

Covid levels in wastewater are very low across European countries. In the USA, Covid activity fell slightly and is now at very low levels, but remains higher in only a few states. Flu A activity in both the USA and Canada has fallen to low levels, although Flu B activity continues to increase in Canada.

Covid activity in Hong Kong has remained very low for many months, whereas activity levels in New Zealand has increased slowly over the past month although the most recent data suggest this small wave is over.

As always, if you have any comments on this Covid Situation Report or suggestions for topics to cover, please post a message below.

Appendix 1. Test positivity rates and prevalence

Positivity rates are derived from the results of hospital laboratory tests conducted on patients exhibiting symptoms of respiratory diseases. Test positivity is the percentage of patients who test positive for Covid of the total number of patients tested. Since the individuals tested for this measure are not a representative sample of the general population it differs from prevalence, which is derived from a representative sample of the population.

This report belongs to a weekly series summarising the Covid situation across the UK's home nations and other countries.

This week's report covers the latest weekly indicators of respiratory illness activity for England, along with the most recent data for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The report also presents the data on Covid levels in selected countries in Europe and North America. Finally, there is a section on the Covid BA.3.2 variant which has recently been in the news.

The USA charts were updated on Friday, April 3 with the latest available data. However, due to the Easter holidays, Canada’s data release has been delayed until next week.

Summary.

This week, the key Covid indicators in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland again remained very low, indicating a low level of risk.

Flu activity has returned to baseline levels across all home nations, following typical out-of-season patterns, confirming that this year’s flu season has come to an end.

In England, all key hospital indicators of Covid activity have stayed well within baseline levels. Flu and RSV cases also fell and are circulating at baseline levels.

In Scotland, all indicators for Covid remained at baseline levels and hospital admissions are again at record low levels. The BA.3.2 Covid variant remains dominant in Scotland but has not led to any increase in activity.

Over the past week, Covid hospital admissions in Wales stayed low, while Flu and RSV admissions remained very low.

In Northern Ireland, Covid activity was stable across all surveillance indicators and stayed at low levels. Flu and RSV activity was also stable and low for all indicators.

Covid levels in wastewater stayed low across all European countries still reporting this data, with Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark all reporting record low activity levels.

Currently, the BA.3.2 variant isn’t causing a rise in Covid activity in countries where it’s dominant. However, it seems to affect younger people more, though the risk is much lower than that of the flu.

Covid activity in the USA for week ending March 28 fell again this week and is now at a very low levels nationwide. Flu activity also fell this week with wastewater activity now very low in all states except for South Dakota

The NHS Spring 2026 Covid booster campaign is set to run from April 13 to June 30, 2026 and will use the same eligibility criteria as the Autumn 2025 campaign.

As always, it’s important to remember that the risk of hospitalisation from Covid increases significantly with age and for the clinically vulnerable. Therefore, it is important to take appropriate measures such as self-isolating when experiencing Covid symptoms and enhancing ventilation or wearing masks whenever possible.

Status of main respiratory diseases in England.

This section starts with the latest data on test positivity rates for Covid in England. It’s important to note that positivity is different from prevalence, which reflects the overall percentage of Covid cases in the general population. Appendix 1 offers a more detailed explanation of the distinction.

The following chart shows the test positivity rate for all Covid tests taken mapped against the UKHSA activity thresholds. The thresholds are based on the historical trend for Covid test positivity and, consequently, represent a relative risk. More details on this approach can be found in the Guide to Covid Surveillance Metrics.

The chart shows that the test positivity rate rose slightly this week but continues to be well below the baseline level, indicating a low risk. Positivity rates stayed low in all regions, with only slight differences between them.

The following chart highlights four key indicators of Covid in hospitals: weekly Emergency Department visits for Covid-like symptoms, test positivity rates among patients with respiratory issues, hospital admission rates, and admission rates for intensive care.

All key hospital indicators for Covid activity remained at historically low levels indicating a low level of risk.

The following chart shows hospital admission rates per 100,000 for the three main respiratory viruses. Covid admissions remain at historic lows, while Flu and RSV cases have peaked and are at baseline activity levels.

Scotland weekly hospital admissions and test positivity

Public Health Scotland (PHS) continue to publish weekly data on Covid hospital admissions and test positivity as well as wastewater monitoring data. The final weekly Viral respiratory diseases in Scotland surveillance report for this season can be accessed here. The surveillance report will now be issued monthly before restarting weekly publication from October 8, 2026.

The following panel chart presents the most recent data for Covid levels in wastewater in blue, weekly Covid test positivity shown in red, Covid hospital admissions depicted in orange, and beds occupied by Covid patients in brown.

All Covid indicators in Scotland remained at historically low levels this week, indicating the risk from the virus remains very low.

This week, Covid test positivity held steady at 0.6%, with overall activity staying at baseline. Hospitalisations dropped for the seventh straight week to just 13, marking yet another record low.

The BA.3.2 variant remained dominant accounting for the majority of detected Covid sequences, replacing the previously dominant XFG variant. It is notable that the newly dominant BA.3.2 variant has not led to any increase in Covid activity.

The final chart in this section compares the test positivity rates for hospital patients with respiratory symptoms for Covid, Flu, and RSV. All positivity rates stayed below baseline activity levels.

All laboratory-confirmed Flu indicators remained at baseline activity, with a slight increase in overall test positivity. Flu-related hospital admissions held steady this week at 21.

RSV activity dropped and remained at baseline levels. Test positivity fell slightly, while hospital admissions fell to 28 from 37 in the prior week.

Wales Covid hospital admissions.

During the winter season, Public Health Wales publishes a weekly respiratory infection report, which is available here. The following chart provides the latest trend for weekly hospital admissions for the main respiratory viruses in Wales up to week ending March 29, 2026.

Covid hospital admissions have remained steady over the past few months and are low. The latest data on Covid variants shows no sign of the BA.3.2 variant in Wales. Based on the limited number of cases sequenced, the most common variant for the week ending February 16, 2026, was PQ.2, found in 39% of the sequenced cases.

This weeks Weekly Acute Respiratory Infection Report shows that Flu is at baseline levels and is now at out of season levels. Confirmed case numbers have stayed very low in the current week, as has test positivity. Covid case numbers have remained stable in recent weeks and are at low levels. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) activity fell overall and is now below baseline intensity levels.

Status of main respiratory diseases in Northern Ireland.

Public Health Northern Ireland publish a weekly surveillance report on influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and Covid providing an overview of these infections within Northern Ireland.

The following chart shows the test positivity rates in Northern Ireland for the main respiratory illnesses — Flu, RSV, and Covid and RSV. Shading represents 95% confidence intervals.

The chart shows that the Covid test positivity rate for patients with respiratory illnesses, marked in blue, continued to fall this week and remained relatively low.

Covid activity has dropped across all surveillance indicators, with levels remaining low. Flu activity has also fallen across all indicators and is now at baseline. RSV activity is down as well and is circulating at low levels.

BA.3.2 Covid Variant Overview

The BA.3.2 Covid variant was first detected in South Africa in November 2024 and has been classified as a ‘variant under monitoring’ by the World Health Organization (WHO) since December 2025. In its latest risk assessment on December 5, 2025, the WHO rated BA.3.2 as low risk, noting low growth advantage, low likelihood of immune escape, and low severity. However, they did point out some laboratory evidence suggesting BA.3.2 might trigger a weaker immune response from prior infection or vaccination.

More recently, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a report on the Early Detection and Surveillance of the SARS-CoV-2 Variant BA.3.2 — Worldwide with data up to February 2026. The report found that as of 11 February 2026, BA.3.2 has been detected in 23 countries. Whilst early detections were sporadic, numbers had increased from September 2025.

The CDC report found that in some European countries (Denmark, Germany, Netherlands), it reached about 30% of sequenced samples, though without a major rise in overall Covid incidence. In the USA by February 2026 BA.3.2 had been found in 132 wastewater samples across 25 states providing an early signal of increasing prevalence.

The following chart shows the number of variants found most frequently in the Netherlands by week since week ending Nov 16, 2025. The two variants circulating most widely are the XFG variant shown in green and BA.3.2 depicted in brown, which is now the most common variant.

Although BA.3.2 has been the most common variant since early 2026, albeit with only a small number of cases sequenced, Covid activity in the Netherlands has dropped significantly, according to wastewater monitoring. This would indicate that BA.3.2 is not presenting an increased overall risk.

Although WHO and CDC assess the risk from BA.3.2 as low there have been some reports on social media suggesting that BA.3.2 is preferentially impacting children. The remainder of this section explores this suggestion using data from Scotland.

The March 2026 Viral Respiratory Diseases in Scotland Surveillance Report found that while XFG and NB.1.8.1 were the most common variants in December 2025, BA.3.2 started making up a larger share of sequences from October 2025 and has been the dominant variant since the week ending January 22, 2026. Unfortunately, low sequencing numbers, especially within the latest reporting period, will impact the accuracy of the prevalence estimates.

The following chart highlights the period in grey when BA.3.2 becomes dominant on the four indicators used to track Covid activity in Scotland.

The chart shows a slight rise in Covid activity when BA.3.2 became the dominant variant, which was much smaller than the increases seen in other waves. However, the following chart demonstrates a different pattern by age for test positivity.

The chart shows that, unlike other age groups, children aged one to four had a higher test positivity rate when BA.3.2 was dominant than in the previous wave, while those aged five to fourteen had roughly the same positivity rate.

The following chart shows a similar trend, with the hospital admission rate (per 100,000) for those under 18 experiencing the biggest jump and surpassing all other age groups when BA.3.2 was the dominant variant. However, it’s important to note that during this period, Flu posed a much greater risk to those under 18, with peak admission rates of 30.9 compared to just 4.9 for Covid BA.3.2.

In conclusion, the data from Scotland supports the observation that the Covid BA.3.2 variant preferentially impacts children.

Covid Activity in Other Countries.

This section reviews the latest Covid trends in Europe, North America, and the Western Pacific. In most countries across these regions, cases have dropped and remain lower than during earlier waves. The exception is New Zealand, where Covid activity is gradually increasing.

The following chart shows latest levels of Covid up to week ending March 26, 2026 as measured by monitoring wastewater in a number of European countries that still publish this information.

This week, Covid levels in wastewater remained low across all European countries still reporting this data, with Germany, France, and Denmark all reporting record low activity levels.

The USA charts were updated on Friday, April 3 with the latest available data. However, due to the Easter holidays, Canada’s data release has been delayed until next week.

As of week ending March 28, 2026 Covid activity in the USA fell and and is now very low, though the situation varies across different parts of the country.

The following chart shows the weekly trend for the national key Covid indicators covering wastewater activity levels, percent of emergency department visits due to Covid, test positivity, and the hospital admission rate in the USA.

The panel chart shows that Covid wastewater viral activity levels continued to fall slowly and is stayed within the very low activity level for the week ending March 28, 2026. Emergency department visits, test positivity, and hospital admissions also fell and remained at low levels.

Wastewater analysis shows that Covid levels are also falling and low in most states as illustrated in the following map. Each state is coloured based on activity levels, ranging from very high (dark red) to very low (light green), with grey indicating no data available. States with increasing activity levels are marked with cross-hatching.

The interactive map lets you hover over any state using your cursor to see more details about wastewater viral activity levels. It shows data from states nationwide for the week ending March 28, 2026.

The next chart compares the percentage of Emergency Department visits caused by Covid and Flu. It shows that while Covid activity has now dropped to a low level, flu activity also fell but stayed at a moderate level nationwide.

Flu activity, according to wastewater measurements, tells a different story, with every state except South Dakota reporting very low levels.

Turning to Canada, the data for week ending March 21, 2026, shows that Covid wastewater levels fell significantly and are now at very low levels. However, there are regional variations, with central provinces showing slightly lower activity. Flu A activity has stayed very low, while Flu B activity remained at high levels.

In conclusion

Although the amount of data currently being published is reduced, the information available for all home nations show that Covid activity is low. Flu activity has fallen from its recent peak and is now at baseline levels.

Covid levels in wastewater are very low across European countries In the USA, Covid activity fell slightly and is now at very low levels, but remains higher in a few states. Flu A activity in both the USA and Canada has fallen to low levels, although Flu B activity has increased in Canada.

As always, if you have any comments on this Covid Situation Report or suggestions for topics to cover, please post a message below.

Appendix 1. Test positivity rates and prevalence

Positivity rates are derived from the results of hospital laboratory tests conducted on patients exhibiting symptoms of respiratory diseases. Test positivity is the percentage of patients who test positive for Covid of the total number of patients tested. Since the individuals tested for this measure are not a representative sample of the general population it differs from prevalence, which is derived from a representative sample of the population.

This report belongs to a weekly series summarising the Covid situation across the UK's home nations and other countries.

This week's report covers the latest weekly indicators of respiratory illness activity for England, along with the most recent data for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The report also presents the data on Covid levels in selected countries in Europe and North America.

Charts for the USA and Canada were updated on Friday, March 27 to reflect the latest published data.

Summary.

This week, the key Covid indicators in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland remained very low, indicating a low level of risk.

Flu activity has returned to baseline levels across all home nations, following typical out-of-season patterns, confirming that this year’s flu season has come to an end.

In England, all key hospital indicators of Covid activity have stayed well within baseline levels. Flu and RSV cases also fell and are circulating at baseline levels.

In Scotland, all indicators for Covid remained at baseline levels and hospital admissions are at record low levels. The BA.3.2 Covid variant remains dominant in Scotland but has not led to any increase in activity.

Over the past week, Covid hospital admissions in Wales stayed low, while Flu and RSV admissions remained very low.

In Northern Ireland, Covid activity was stable across all surveillance indicators and stayed at low levels. Flu and RSV activity was also stable and low for all indicators.

Covid levels in wastewater stayed low across all European countries still reporting this data, with Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark all reporting record low activity levels.

Covid activity in the USA for week ending March 21 fell again this week and is now at a very low levels nationwide. Flu activity also fell this week with wastewater activity now low or very low in all states.

Covid cases in Hong Kong have stayed very low for six months, while in New Zealand, activity rose in recent months but is now on the decline.

The NHS Spring 2026 Covid booster campaign is set to run from April 13 to June 30, 2026 and will use the same eligibility criteria as the Autumn 2025 campaign.

As always, it’s important to remember that the risk of hospitalisation from Covid increases significantly with age and for the clinically vulnerable. Therefore, it is important to take appropriate measures such as self-isolating when experiencing Covid symptoms and enhancing ventilation or wearing masks whenever possible.

Status of main respiratory diseases in England.

This section starts with the latest data on test positivity rates for Covid in England. It’s important to note that positivity is different from prevalence, which reflects the overall percentage of Covid cases in the general population. Appendix 1 offers a more detailed explanation of the distinction.

The following chart shows the test positivity rate for all Covid tests taken mapped against the UKHSA activity thresholds. The thresholds are based on the historical trend for Covid test positivity and, consequently, represent a relative risk. More details on this approach can be found in the Guide to Covid Surveillance Metrics.

The chart shows that the test positivity rate fell slightly this week and continues to be well below the baseline level, indicating a low risk. Positivity rates stayed low in all regions, with only slight differences between them.

The following chart highlights four key indicators of Covid in hospitals: weekly Emergency Department visits for Covid-like symptoms, test positivity rates among patients with respiratory issues, hospital admission rates, and admission rates for intensive care.

All key hospital indicators for Covid activity remained at historically low levels indicating a low level of risk.

The following chart shows hospital admission rates per 100,000 for the three main respiratory viruses. Covid admissions remain at historic lows, while Flu and RSV cases have peaked and are at baseline activity levels.

Scotland weekly hospital admissions and test positivity

Public Health Scotland (PHS) continue to publish weekly data on Covid hospital admissions and test positivity as well as wastewater monitoring data. The final weekly Viral respiratory diseases in Scotland surveillance report for this season can be accessed here. The surveillance report will now be issued monthly before restarting weekly publication from October 8, 2026.

The following panel chart presents the most recent data for Covid levels in wastewater in blue, weekly Covid test positivity shown in red, Covid hospital admissions depicted in orange, and beds occupied by Covid patients in brown.

All Covid indicators in Scotland remained very low this week, indicating the risk from the virus remains low.

This week, Covid test positivity held steady at 1.5%, with overall activity staying at baseline. Hospitalisations dropped for the sixth straight week to just 16, marking yet another record low.

The BA.3.2 variant remained dominant accounting for the majority of detected Covid sequences, replacing the previously dominant XFG variant. It is notable that the newly dominant BA.3.2 variant has not led to any increase in Covid activity.

The final chart in this section compares the test positivity rates for hospital patients with respiratory symptoms for Covid, Flu, and RSV. All positivity rates stayed below baseline activity levels.

All laboratory-confirmed Flu indicators remained at baseline activity, with a slight decrease in overall test positivity. Hospital admissions due to Flu also fell from 32 to 18 this week.

RSV activity dropped and remained at baseline levels. Test positivity fell slightly, while hospital admissions held steady at 35, just one more than the previous week.

Wales Covid hospital admissions.

During the winter season, Public Health Wales publishes a weekly respiratory infection report, which is available here. The following chart provides the latest trend for weekly hospital admissions for the main respiratory viruses in Wales up to week ending March 22, 2026.

Covid hospital admissions have remained steady over the past few months and are low. Flu cases needing hospitalisation remained very low and are much lower than for Covid. RSV admissions also fell and are at low levels.

This weeks Weekly Acute Respiratory Infection Report shows that while Flu is at baseline levels and is now at out of season levels. Confirmed case numbers have stayed very low in the current week, as has test positivity.

Covid case numbers have remained broadly stable in recent weeks and are at low levels. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) activity fell overall and is now below baseline intensity levels.

Status of main respiratory diseases in Northern Ireland.

Public Health Northern Ireland publish a weekly surveillance report on influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and Covid providing an overview of these infections within Northern Ireland.

The following chart shows the test positivity rates in Northern Ireland for the main respiratory illnesses — Flu, RSV, and Covid and RSV. Shading represents 95% confidence intervals.

The chart shows that the Covid test positivity rate for patients with respiratory illnesses, marked in blue, continued to fall this week and remained relatively low.

Covid activity has dropped across all surveillance indicators, with levels remaining low. Flu activity has also fallen across all indicators and is now at baseline. RSV activity is down as well and is circulating at low levels.

Covid Activity in Other Countries.

This section reviews the latest Covid trends in Europe, North America, and the Western Pacific. In most countries across these regions, cases have dropped and remain lower than during earlier waves. The exception is New Zealand, where Covid activity is gradually increasing.

The following chart shows latest levels of Covid up to week ending March 19, 2026 as measured by monitoring wastewater in a number of European countries that still publish this information.

This week, Covid levels in wastewater remained low across all European countries still reporting this data, with Germany, France, and Denmark all reporting record low activity levels.

Data for the USA and Canada was updated on Friday, March 27 to reflect the latest information.

As of week ending March 21, 2026 Covid activity in the USA fell and and is now very low, though the situation varies across different parts of the country.

The following chart shows the weekly trend for the national key Covid indicators covering wastewater activity levels, percent of emergency department visits due to Covid, test positivity, and the hospital admission rate in the USA.

The panel chart shows that Covid wastewater viral activity levels continued to fall slowly and is now within the very low activity level for the week ending March 21, 2026. Emergency department visits, test positivity, and hospital admissions also fell and remained at low levels.

Wastewater analysis shows that Covid levels are also falling and low in most states as illustrated in the following map. Each state is coloured based on activity levels, ranging from very high (dark red) to very low (light green), with grey indicating no data available. States with increasing activity levels are marked with cross-hatching.

The interactive map lets you hover over any state using your cursor to see more details about wastewater viral activity levels. It shows data from states nationwide for the week ending March 21, 2026.

The next chart compares the percentage of Emergency Department visits caused by Covid and Flu. It shows that while Covid activity has now dropped to a low level, flu activity also fell but stayed at a moderate level nationwide.

However, flu activity based on wastewater measurements paints a different picture, with all states showing low or very low levels.

Turning to Canada, the latest data for week ending March 21, 2026, shows that Covid wastewater levels fell significantly and are now at very low levels. However, there are regional variations, with central provinces showing slightly lower activity. Flu A activity has stayed very low, while Flu B activity remained at high levels.

The last countries in this section are Hong Kong and New Zealand, each displaying different trends.

This chart shows the key Covid activity indicators for Hong Kong up to week ending March 21, 2026, highlighting that activity has stayed low over the past six months.

In contrast, New Zealand presents a mixed picture, with Covid levels in wastewater climbing since the start of the year, even as reported cases stay relatively low. However, the most recent data shows that Covid activity is now falling suggesting this recent small wave is over.

You can find more information about local Covid activity levels in New Zealand here.

In conclusion

Although the amount of data currently being published is reduced, the information available for all home nations show that Covid activity is low. Flu activity has fallen from its recent peak and is now at baseline levels.

Covid levels in wastewater are very low across European countries In the USA, Covid activity fell slightly and is now at very low levels, but remains higher in a few states. Flu A activity in both the USA and Canada has fallen to low levels, although Flu B activity has increased in Canada.

Covid activity in Hong Kong has remained very low for many months, whereas activity levels in New Zealand has increased slowly over the past month although the most recent data suggest this small wave is over.

As always, if you have any comments on this Covid Situation Report or suggestions for topics to cover, please post a message below.

Appendix 1. Test positivity rates and prevalence

Positivity rates are derived from the results of hospital laboratory tests conducted on patients exhibiting symptoms of respiratory diseases. Test positivity is the percentage of patients who test positive for Covid of the total number of patients tested. Since the individuals tested for this measure are not a representative sample of the general population it differs from prevalence, which is derived from a representative sample of the population.

This report belongs to a weekly series summarising the Covid situation across the UK's home nations and other countries.

This week's report covers the latest weekly indicators of respiratory illness activity for England, along with the most recent data for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The report also presents the data on Covid levels in selected countries in Europe and North America.

Charts for the USA were updated on Friday, March 20 to reflect the latest published data.

Summary.

Once again, the key Covid indicators in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland stayed low, suggesting a low level of risk.

Flu activity has dropped to baseline levels across all home nations, returning to typical out-of-season patterns and confirming that this year’s flu season is over.

In England, all key hospital indicators of Covid activity have stayed well within baseline levels. Flu and RSV cases also fell and are circulating at baseline levels.

In Scotland, all indicators for Covid fell slightly and hospital admissions are at record low levels. The BA.3.2 Covid variant remains dominant in Scotland but has not led to any increase in activity. Positivity rates and hospital admissions for Flu have fallen significantly from the recent peak and are at baseline levels.

Over the past week, Covid hospital admissions in Wales stayed low, while Flu and RSV admissions remained very low.

In Northern Ireland, Covid activity was stable across all surveillance indicators and stayed at low levels. Flu and RSV activity was also stable and low for all indicators.

Covid levels in wastewater stayed low across all European countries still reporting this data, with Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark all reporting record low activity levels.

Covid activity in the USA for week ending March 14 fell again this week and stayed at a low level of activity nationwide. Flu activity also fell this week with wastewater activity now low in all states.

Covid activity in Hong Kong has remained very low for many months, whereas activity levels in New Zealand have risen over the past month.

The NHS Spring 2026 Covid booster campaign is set to run from April 13 to June 30, 2026 and will use the same eligibility criteria as the Autumn 2025 campaign.

As always, it’s important to remember that the risk of hospitalisation from Covid increases significantly with age and for the clinically vulnerable. Therefore, it is important to take appropriate measures such as self-isolating when experiencing Covid symptoms and enhancing ventilation or wearing masks whenever possible.

Status of main respiratory diseases in England.

This section starts with the latest data on test positivity rates for Covid in England. It’s important to note that positivity is different from prevalence, which reflects the overall percentage of Covid cases in the general population. Appendix 1 offers a more detailed explanation of the distinction.

The following chart shows the test positivity rate for all Covid tests taken mapped against the UKHSA activity thresholds. The thresholds are based on the historical trend for Covid test positivity and, consequently, represent a relative risk. More details on this approach can be found in the Guide to Covid Surveillance Metrics.

The chart shows that the test positivity rate fell slightly this week and continues to be well below the baseline level, indicating a low risk. Positivity rates stayed low in all regions, with only slight differences between them.

The following chart highlights four key indicators of Covid in hospitals: weekly Emergency Department visits for Covid-like symptoms, test positivity rates among patients with respiratory issues, hospital admission rates, and admission rates for intensive care.

All key hospital indicators for Covid activity remained at historically low levels indicating a low level of risk.

The following chart shows hospital admission rates per 100,000 for the three main respiratory viruses. Covid admissions remain at historic lows, while Flu and RSV cases have peaked and are at baseline activity levels.

Scotland weekly hospital admissions and test positivity

Public Health Scotland (PHS) continue to publish weekly data on Covid hospital admissions and test positivity as well as wastewater monitoring data. The latest Viral respiratory diseases in Scotland surveillance report can be accessed here.

The following panel chart presents the most recent data for Covid levels in wastewater in blue, weekly Covid test positivity shown in red, Covid hospital admissions depicted in orange, and beds occupied by Covid patients in brown.

All Covid indicators in Scotland fell slightly this week and remained very low, indicating the risk from the virus remains low.

This week, Covid test positivity decreased from 1.9% to 1.4% and overall activity remained at baseline level. Hospitalisations fell for the fifth week in a row to 24, the lowest level ever reported.

The BA.3.2 variant remained dominant accounting for the majority (65%) of detected Covid sequences, replacing the previously dominant XFG variant. It is notable that the newly dominant BA.3.2 variant has not led to any increase in Covid activity.

The final chart in this section compares the test positivity rates for hospital patients with respiratory symptoms for Covid, Flu, and RSV. All positivity rates stayed at baseline activity levels.

All laboratory-confirmed Flu indicators remained at baseline activity, with a slight decrease in overall test positivity. However, hospital admissions due to Flu increased from 26 to 31 this week, five of which were for influenza B.

Overall RSV activity decreased and stayed at baseline levels. Test positivity remained stable and hospital admissions decreased from 47 in the previous week to 32 this week.

Wales Covid hospital admissions.

During the winter season, Public Health Wales publishes a weekly respiratory infection report, which is available here. The following chart provides the latest trend for weekly hospital admissions for the main respiratory viruses in Wales up to week ending March 15, 2026.

Covid hospital admissions have remained steady over the past few months and are low. Flu cases needing hospitalisation remained very low and are much lower than for Covid. RSV admissions also fell and are at low levels.

This weeks Weekly Acute Respiratory Infection Report shows that while Flu is at baseline levels and is almost at out of season levels. Confirmed case numbers have stayed very low in the current week, as has test positivity.

Covid case numbers have remained broadly stable in recent weeks and are at low levels. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) activity fell overall and is now at baseline intensity levels.

Status of main respiratory diseases in Northern Ireland.

Public Health Northern Ireland publish a weekly surveillance report on influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and Covid providing an overview of these infections within Northern Ireland.

The following chart shows the test positivity rates in Northern Ireland for the main respiratory illnesses — Flu, RSV, and Covid and RSV. Shading represents 95% confidence intervals.

The chart shows that the Covid test positivity rate for patients with respiratory illnesses, marked in blue, continued to fall this week and remained relatively low.

Covid activity has dropped across all surveillance indicators, with levels remaining low. Flu activity has also fallen across all indicators and is now at baseline. RSV activity is down as well and is circulating at low levels.

Covid Activity in Other Countries.

This section reviews the latest Covid trends in Europe, North America, and the Western Pacific. In most countries across these regions, cases have dropped and remain lower than during earlier waves. The exception is New Zealand, where Covid activity is gradually increasing.

The following chart shows latest levels of Covid up to week ending March 12, 2026 as measured by monitoring wastewater in a number of European countries that still publish this information.

This week, Covid levels in wastewater remained low across all European countries still reporting this data, with Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark all reporting record low activity levels.

Data for the USA was updated on Friday, March 20 to reflect the latest information.

As of week ending March 14, 2026 Covid activity in the USA remained stable and relatively low, though the situation varies across different parts of the country.

The following chart shows the weekly trend for the national key Covid indicators covering wastewater activity levels, percent of emergency department visits due to Covid, test positivity, and the hospital admission rate in the USA.

The panel chart shows that Covid wastewater viral activity levels continued to fall slowly and remained within the low activity level for the week ending March 14, 2026. Emergency department visits, test positivity, and hospital admissions also fell and remained at low levels.

Wastewater analysis shows that Covid levels are falling and low in most states as illustrated in the following map. Each state is coloured based on activity levels, ranging from very high (dark red) to very low (light green), with grey indicating no data available. States with increasing activity levels are marked with cross-hatching.

The interactive map lets you hover over any state using your cursor to see more details about wastewater viral activity levels. It shows data from states nationwide for the week ending March 14, 2026.

The next chart compares the percentage of Emergency Department visits caused by Covid and Flu. It shows that while Covid activity has now dropped to a low level, flu activity also fell but stayed at a moderate level nationwide.

However, flu activity based on wastewater measurements paints a different picture, with all states showing low or very low levels.

Turning to Canada, the latest data for week ending March 7, 2026, shows that Covid wastewater levels fell slightly but remain at a moderate level nationwide. However, there are regional variations, with western provinces showing higher activity. Flu A activity has stayed very low, but Flu B and RSV activity again increased this week and are at high levels.

The last countries in this section are Hong Kong and New Zealand, each displaying different trends.

The following chart presents the key Covid activity indicators for Hong Kong, showing that activity has remained low for the last six months.

In contrast, New Zealand presents a mixed picture, with Covid levels in wastewater climbing since the start of the year, even as reported cases stay relatively low.

You can find more information about local Covid activity levels in New Zealand here.

In conclusion

Although the amount of data currently being published is reduced, the information available for all home nations show that Covid activity is low. Flu activity has fallen from its recent peak and is now at baseline levels.

Covid levels in wastewater are very low across European countries In the USA, Covid activity fell slightly and is at low levels, but remains higher in a few states. Flu A activity in both the USA and Canada has fallen to low levels, although Flu B activity has increased in Canada.

Covid activity in Hong Kong has remained very low for many months, whereas activity levels in New Zealand have risen slowly over the past month.

As always, if you have any comments on this Covid Situation Report or suggestions for topics to cover, please post a message below.

Appendix 1. Test positivity rates and prevalence

Positivity rates are derived from the results of hospital laboratory tests conducted on patients exhibiting symptoms of respiratory diseases. Test positivity is the percentage of patients who test positive for Covid of the total number of patients tested. Since the individuals tested for this measure are not a representative sample of the general population it differs from prevalence, which is derived from a representative sample of the population.

This report belongs to a weekly series summarising the Covid situation across the UK's home nations and other countries.

This week's report covers the latest weekly indicators of respiratory illness activity for England, along with the most recent data for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The report also presents the data on Covid levels in selected countries in Europe and North America.

Charts for the USA and New Zealand were updated on Friday, March 13 to reflect the latest published data.

Summary.

Once again, the main Covid indicators in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland stayed low, indicating a low level of risk.

Flu activity is now at baseline levels across all home nations, confirming that this year’s Flu season is over.

In England, all key hospital indicators of Covid activity have stayed well within baseline levels. Flu and RSV cases have also dropped and are circulating at baseline levels as well.

In Scotland, all indicators for Covid fell slightly and are at low levels. The BA.3.2 Covid variant remains dominant in Scotland but has not led to any increase in activity. Positivity rates and hospital admissions for Flu have fallen significantly from the recent peak and are at baseline levels.

Over the past week, Covid hospital admissions in Wales stayed low, while Flu and RSV admissions remained very low.

In Northern Ireland, Covid activity fell across all surveillance indicators and stayed at low levels. Flu and RSV activity has also fallen across all indicators reaching low levels.

Covid levels in wastewater fell in most European countries that share this data and remained low.

Covid activity in the USA for week ending March 7 fell slightly this week and stayed at a low level of activity nationwide, though there are some variations from state to state. Flu activity also fell this week with wastewater activity now low in all states..

Covid activity in Hong Kong has remained very low for many months, whereas activity levels in New Zealand have risen over the past month.

The NHS Spring 2026 Covid booster campaign is set to run from April 13 to June 30, 2026 and will use the same eligibility criteria as the Autumn 2025 campaign.

As always, it’s important to remember that the risk of hospitalisation from Covid increases significantly with age and for the clinically vulnerable. Therefore, it is important to take appropriate measures such as self-isolating when experiencing Covid symptoms and enhancing ventilation or wearing masks whenever possible.

Status of main respiratory diseases in England.

This section usually starts with the latest data on Covid test positivity rates in England, but this week UKHSA hasn’t released this data due to a technical issue in the Second Generation Surveillance System (SGSS). Regular updates are expected to return next week.

The following chart highlights four key indicators of Covid in hospitals: weekly Emergency Department visits for Covid-like symptoms, test positivity rates among patients with respiratory issues, hospital admission rates, and admission rates for intensive care.

All key hospital indicators for Covid activity remained at historically low levels indicating a low level of risk.

The following chart shows hospital admission rates per 100,000 for the three main respiratory viruses. Covid admissions remain at historic lows, while Flu and RSV cases have peaked and are at baseline activity levels.

Scotland weekly hospital admissions and test positivity

Public Health Scotland (PHS) continue to publish weekly data on Covid hospital admissions and test positivity as well as wastewater monitoring data. The latest Viral respiratory diseases in Scotland surveillance report can be accessed here.

The following panel chart presents the most recent data for Covid levels in wastewater in blue, weekly Covid test positivity shown in red, Covid hospital admissions depicted in orange, and beds occupied by Covid patients in brown.

All Covid indicators in Scotland fell slightly this week and remained low, indicating the risk from the virus remains low.

The final chart in this section compares the test positivity rates for hospital patients with respiratory symptoms for Covid, Flu, and RSV. Flu positivity rates have continued to fall to baseline levels and are now lower than for Covid.

This week, Covid test positivity decreased from 2.7% to 1.9% and overall activity remained at baseline level. Hospitalisations fell for the fourth week in a row to 40.

The BA.3.2 variant remained dominant accounting for the majority (75.8%) of detected Covid sequences, replacing the previously dominant XFG variant. It is notable that the newly dominant BA.3.2 variant has not led to any increase in Covid activity.

All laboratory-confirmed Flu indicators remained at baseline activity, with a slight decrease in overall test positivity. Overall RSV activity decreased and stayed at baseline levels. Test positivity continued to fall and hospital admissions decreased from 60 in the previous week to 41 this week.

Wales Covid hospital admissions.

During the winter season, Public Health Wales publishes a weekly respiratory infection report, which is available here. The following chart provides the latest trend for weekly hospital admissions for the main respiratory viruses in Wales up to week ending March 8, 2026.

Covid hospital admissions have remained steady over the past few months and are low. Flu cases needing hospitalisation remained very low and are much lower than for Covid. RSV admissions also fell and are at low levels.

This weeks Weekly Acute Respiratory Infection Report shows that while Flu is still circulating in Wales, activity remained at baseline levels. Confirmed case numbers have stayed at low levels in the current week, as has test positivity.

Covid case numbers have remained broadly stable in recent weeks and are at low levels. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) activity fell overall and is at low intensity levels.

Status of main respiratory diseases in Northern Ireland.

Public Health Northern Ireland publish a weekly surveillance report on influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and Covid providing an overview of these infections within Northern Ireland.

The following chart shows the test positivity rates in Northern Ireland for the main respiratory illnesses — Flu, RSV, and Covid and RSV. Shading represents 95% confidence intervals.

The chart shows that the Covid test positivity rate for patients with respiratory illnesses, marked in blue, continued to fall this week and remained relatively low.

Covid activity has dropped across all surveillance indicators, with levels staying low. Flu activity has also fallen across all indicators and is now at baseline. RSV activity is down as well and is circulating at low levels.

Covid Activity in Other Countries.

This section reviews the latest Covid trends in Europe, North America, and the Western Pacific. In most countries across these regions, cases have dropped and remain lower than during earlier waves. The exception is New Zealand, where Covid activity is gradually increasing.

The following chart shows latest levels of Covid up to week ending March 5, 2026 as measured by monitoring wastewater in a number of European countries that still publish this information.

This week, Covid levels in wastewater stayed low across all European countries still reporting this data, with Germany and the Netherlands reporting record low activity levels.

Data for the USA was updated on Friday, March 13 to reflect the latest information.

As of week ending March 7, 2026 Covid activity in the USA remained stable and relatively low, though the situation varies across different parts of the country.

The following chart shows the weekly trend for the national key Covid indicators covering wastewater activity levels, percent of emergency department visits due to Covid, test positivity, and the hospital admission rate in the USA.

The panel chart shows Covid wastewater viral activity levels continued to fall slowly and are now within the low activity level for the week ending March 7, 2026. Emergency department visits, test positivity, and hospital admissions also fell slightly and remained at low levels.

Wastewater analysis shows that Covid levels are highest in Mid West and Northeast states, while staying relatively low in the West region as illustrated in the following map. Each state is coloured based on activity levels, ranging from very high (dark red) to very low (light green), with grey indicating no data available. States with increasing activity levels are marked with cross-hatching.

The interactive map lets you hover over any state using your cursor to see more details about wastewater viral activity levels. It shows data from states nationwide for the week ending March 7, 2026.

The next chart compares the percentage of Emergency Department visits caused by Covid and Flu. It shows that while Covid activity has now dropped to a low level, flu activity also fell but stayed at a moderate level nationwide.

However, flu activity based on wastewater measurements paints a different picture, with all states showing low or very low levels.

Turning to Canada, the latest data for week ending March 7, 2026, shows that Covid wastewater levels continued to rise slowly but remain at a moderate level nationwide. However, there are regional variations, with western provinces showing higher activity. Flu activity has stayed very low, but RSV activity again increased this week.

The last countries in this section are Hong Kong and New Zealand, each displaying different trends.

The following chart presents the key Covid activity indicators for Hong Kong, showing that activity has remained low for the last six months.

In contrast, New Zealand presents a mixed picture, with Covid levels in wastewater climbing since the start of the year, even as reported cases stay relatively low.

You can find more information about local Covid activity levels in New Zealand here.

In conclusion

Although the amount of data currently being published is reduced, the information available for all home nations show that Covid activity is low. Flu activity has fallen from its recent peak and is now at baseline levels.

Covid levels in wastewater are low across European countries In the USA, Covid activity also fell slightly and is at moderate levels, but remains at high levels in a some states. Flu activity in both the USA and Canada is falling to low levels.

Covid activity in Hong Kong has remained very low for many months, whereas activity levels in New Zealand have risen slowly over the past month.

As always, if you have any comments on this Covid Situation Report or suggestions for topics to cover, please post a message below.

Appendix 1. Test positivity rates and prevalence

Positivity rates are derived from the results of hospital laboratory tests conducted on patients exhibiting symptoms of respiratory diseases. Test positivity is the percentage of patients who test positive for Covid of the total number of patients tested. Since the individuals tested for this measure are not a representative sample of the general population it differs from prevalence, which is derived from a representative sample of the population.

This report belongs to a weekly series summarising the Covid situation across the UK's home nations and other countries.

This week's report covers the latest weekly indicators of respiratory illness activity for England, along with the most recent data for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The report also presents the data on Covid levels in selected countries in Europe and North America.

USA charts were updated on Friday, March 6 to reflect the latest published data.

Summary.

Once again, the main Covid indicators in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland stayed low, indicating a low level of risk.

Flu activity is now at baseline levels across all home nations, confirming that this year’s Flu season is over.

In England, all key indicators of Covid activity have stayed well within baseline levels. Flu and RSV cases have also dropped and are circulating at baseline levels as well.

In Scotland, all indicators for Covid fell slightly and are at low levels. The BA.3.2 Covid variant remains dominant in Scotland but has not led to any increase in activity. Positivity rates and hospital admissions for Flu have fallen significantly from the recent peak and are at baseline levels.

Over the past week, Covid hospital admissions in Wales stayed low, while Flu admissions remained very low.

In Northern Ireland, Covid activity decreased across all surveillance indicators and remained at low levels. Flu and RSV activity has fallen across all indicators reaching low levels.

Once again, Covid levels in wastewater remained low across all European countries that share this data.

Covid activity in the USA for week ending February 27 remained stable this week and at a low level of activity nationwide, though there are significant variations from state to state. Flu activity remained stable, but is still high in a few states.

Covid activity in Hong Kong has remained very low for many months, whereas activity levels in New Zealand have risen slowly over the past month.

The NHS Spring 2026 Covid booster campaign is set to run from April 13 to June 30, 2026 and will use the same eligibility criteria as the Autumn 2025 campaign.

As always, it’s important to remember that the risk of hospitalisation from Covid increases significantly with age and for the clinically vulnerable. Therefore, it is important to take appropriate measures such as self-isolating when experiencing Covid symptoms and enhancing ventilation or wearing masks whenever possible.

Status of main respiratory diseases in England.

This section starts with the latest data on test positivity rates for Covid in England. It's important to note that positivity is different from prevalence, which reflects the overall percentage of Covid cases in the general population. Appendix 1 offers a more detailed explanation of the distinction.

The following chart shows the test positivity rate for all Covid tests taken mapped against the UKHSA activity thresholds. The thresholds are based on the historical trend for Covid test positivity and, consequently, represent a relative risk. More details on this approach can be found in the Guide to Covid Surveillance Metrics.

The chart shows that the test positivity rate remained stable this week and continues to be well below the baseline level, indicating a low risk. Positivity rates stayed low in all regions, with only slight differences between them.

The next chart highlights four key indicators of Covid in hospitals: weekly Emergency Department visits for Covid-like symptoms, test positivity rates among patients with respiratory issues, hospital admission rates, and admission rates for intensive care.

All key hospital indicators for Covid activity remained at historically low levels indicating a low level of risk.

The following chart shows hospital admission rates per 100,000 for the three main respiratory viruses. Covid admissions are at historic lows, while Flu and RSV cases have peaked and are at baseline activity levels.

Scotland weekly hospital admissions and test positivity

Public Health Scotland (PHS) continue to publish weekly data on Covid hospital admissions and test positivity as well as wastewater monitoring data. The latest Viral respiratory diseases in Scotland surveillance report can be accessed here.

The following panel chart presents the most recent data for Covid levels in wastewater in blue, weekly Covid test positivity shown in red, Covid hospital admissions depicted in orange, and beds occupied by Covid patients in brown.

All Covid indicators in Scotland fell this week and remained low this week, indicating the risk from the virus remains low.

The final chart in this section compares the test positivity rates for hospital patients with respiratory symptoms for Covid, Flu, and RSV. Flu positivity rates have continued to fall to baseline levels and are now lower than for Covid.

This week, Covid test positivity decreased from 3.6% to 2.9% and overall activity remained at baseline level. Hospitalisations fell for the third week in a row to 50, with children under 5 making up about a third of the cases.

The BA.3.2 variant remained dominant accounting for the majority (73.5%) of detected Covid sequences, replacing the previously dominant XFG variant. It is notable that the newly dominant BA.3.2 variant has not led to any increase in Covid activity.

Laboratory-confirmed flu cases remained at baseline activity overall this week, with a slight decrease in overall test positivity. Hospital admissions continued to fall from 56 to 37, with individuals aged 65-74 accounting for the highest proportion of cases, at 43%.

Overall RSV activity decreased, returning to baseline levels. Test positivity continued to fall and hospital admissions decreased from 79 to 56.

Wales Covid hospital admissions.

During the winter season, Public Health Wales publishes a weekly respiratory infection report, which is available here. The following chart provides the latest trend for weekly hospital admissions for the main respiratory viruses in Wales up to week ending March 1, 2026.

Covid hospital admissions have remained steady over the past few months and are low. Flu cases needing hospitalisation remained very low and are much lower than for Covid. RSV admissions also fell and are at low levels.

This weeks Weekly Acute Respiratory Infection Report shows that Flu activity remained at baseline levels. Confirmed case numbers have stayed at low levels in the current week, as has test positivity.

In addition, GP consultations for influenza-like illness remained stable and are well below the ‘low intensity’ threshold. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) activity is decreasing overall and is now at low intensity levels. Covid case numbers have remained broadly stable in recent weeks and at low levels.

Status of main respiratory diseases in Northern Ireland.

Public Health Northern Ireland publish a weekly surveillance report on influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and Covid providing an overview of these infections within Northern Ireland.

The following chart shows the test positivity rates in Northern Ireland for the main respiratory illnesses — Flu, RSV, and Covid and RSV. Shading represents 95% confidence intervals.

The chart shows that the Covid test positivity rate for patients with respiratory illnesses, marked in blue, continued to fall this week and remained relatively low.

Covid activity has dropped across all surveillance indicators, with levels staying low. Flu activity has also declined across all indicators and is now at baseline. RSV activity is down as well and is circulating at low levels.

Covid Activity in Other Countries.

This section reviews the latest Covid trends in Europe, North America, and the Western Pacific. In most countries across these regions, cases have dropped and remain lower than during earlier waves. The exception is New Zealand, where Covid activity is gradually increasing.

The following chart shows latest levels of Covid up to week ending February 26, 2026 as measured by monitoring wastewater in a number of European countries that still publish this information.

This week, Covid levels in wastewater remained low in all European countries that still share this data.

The data for the USA was updated on Friday, March 6 to reflect the latest information.

As of week ending February 28, 2026 Covid activity in the USA remained stable and relatively low, though the situation varies across different parts of the country.

The following chart shows the weekly trend for the national key Covid indicators covering wastewater activity levels, percent of emergency department visits due to Covid, test positivity, and the hospital admission rate in the USA.

The panel chart shows Covid wastewater viral activity levels continued to fall slowly and are now just within the low activity level for the week ending February 28, 2026. Emergency department visits, test positivity, and hospital admissions also fell slightly and remained at relatively low levels.

Wastewater analysis shows that Covid levels are highest in Mid West and Northeast states, while staying relatively low in the West region as illustrated in the following map. Each state is coloured based on activity levels, ranging from very high (dark red) to very low (light green), with grey indicating no data available. States with increasing activity levels are marked with cross-hatching.

The interactive map lets you hover over any state using your cursor to see more details about wastewater viral activity levels. It shows data from states nationwide for the week ending February 28, 2026.

The next chart compares the percentage of Emergency Department visits caused by Covid and Flu. It shows that while Covid activity has now dropped to a low level, flu activity has stayed steady at a moderate level nationwide.

However, Flu activity varies across states, with cases increasing in just 9 and decreasing in 35. While most states are experiencing moderate or low activity levels, Louisiana is still facing high activity, as shown on the interactive map.

Turning to Canada, the latest data as of February 21, 2026, shows that COVID wastewater levels are rising very slowly but remain moderate, flu activity has dropped to very low, and RSV activity has increased this week.

The last countries in this section are Hong Kong and New Zealand, each displaying different trends.

The following chart presents the key Covid activity indicators for Hong Kong, showing that activity has remained low for the last six months.

In contrast, New Zealand presents a mixed picture, with Covid levels in wastewater climbing since the start of the year, even as reported cases stay relatively low.

In conclusion

Although the amount of data currently being published is reduced, the information available for all home nations show that Covid activity is low. Flu activity has fallen from its recent peak and is now at baseline levels.

Covid levels in wastewater are low across European countries In the USA, Covid activity also fell slightly and is at moderate levels, but remains at high levels in a some states. Flu activity in both the USA and Canada is falling to low levels.

Covid activity in Hong Kong has remained very low for many months, whereas activity levels in New Zealand have risen slowly over the past month.

As always, if you have any comments on this Covid Situation Report or suggestions for topics to cover, please post a message below.

Appendix 1. Test positivity rates and prevalence

Positivity rates are derived from the results of hospital laboratory tests conducted on patients exhibiting symptoms of respiratory diseases. Test positivity is the percentage of patients who test positive for Covid of the total number of patients tested. Since the individuals tested for this measure are not a representative sample of the general population it differs from prevalence, which is derived from a representative sample of the population.

This report belongs to a weekly series summarising the Covid situation across the UK's home nations and other countries.

This week's report covers the latest weekly indicators of respiratory illness activity for England, along with the most recent data for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The report also presents the data on Covid levels in selected countries in Europe and North America.

USA charts updated on Friday, February 27 to reflect the latest published data.

Summary.

Once again, the main Covid indicators in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland stayed low, indicating a low level of risk.

Flu activity is now at baseline levels across all home nations, indicating that this year’s Flu season is over.

In England, all main indicators of Covid activity remained well within the baseline activity level. Flu and RSV activity has also fallen and is circulating at low activity levels.

In Scotland, all indicators for Covid fell slightly and are at low levels. The BA.3.2 Covid variant is now dominant in Scotland but has not led to any increase in activity. Positivity rates and hospital admissions for Flu have fallen significantly from the recent peak and are also at baseline levels.

In the past week, Covid hospital admissions in Wales stayed at low levels. Flu admissions continued to fall this week and are at very low activity levels.

In Northern Ireland, Covid activity decreased slightly across most surveillance indicators and remained at low levels. Flu and RSV activity has fallen across all indicators to low levels.

Covid levels in wastewater stayed low in all European countries that report this data.

Covid activity in the USA for week ending February 27 remained stable this week and at a low level of activity nationwide, though there are significant variations from state to state. Flu activity remained stable, but is still high in a few states.

The NHS Spring 2026 Covid booster campaign is set to run from April 13 to June 30, 2026 and will use the same eligibility criteria as the Autumn 2025 campaign.

As always, it’s important to remember that the risk of hospitalisation from Covid increases significantly with age and for the clinically vulnerable. Therefore, it is important to take appropriate measures such as self-isolating when experiencing Covid symptoms and enhancing ventilation or wearing masks whenever possible.

Status of main respiratory diseases in England.

This section starts with the latest data on test positivity rates for Covid in England. It's important to note that positivity is different from prevalence, which reflects the overall percentage of Covid cases in the general population. Appendix 1 offers a more detailed explanation of the distinction.

The following chart shows the test positivity rate for all Covid tests taken mapped against the UKHSA activity thresholds. The thresholds are based on the historical trend for Covid test positivity and, consequently, represent a relative risk. More details on this approach can be found in the Guide to Covid Surveillance Metrics.

The chart shows that the test positivity rate remained stable this week and continues to be well below the baseline level, indicating a low risk. Positivity rates remained low in all regions, with only slight differences between them.

The next chart highlights four key indicators of Covid in hospitals: weekly Emergency Department visits for Covid-like symptoms, test positivity rates among patients with respiratory issues, hospital admission rates, and admission rates for intensive care.

All key hospital indicators for Covid activity remain at historically low levels indicating a low level of risk.

The following chart shows hospital admission rates per 100,000 for the three main respiratory viruses. Covid admissions are at historic lows, while Flu and RSV cases have peaked and are at low activity levels. Both remain slightly higher than Covid, suggesting they currently pose a bit more of a risk.

Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) positivity rates remained stable and are stayed at the low level of activity.

Scotland weekly hospital admissions and test positivity

Public Health Scotland (PHS) continue to publish weekly data on Covid hospital admissions and test positivity as well as wastewater monitoring data. The latest Viral respiratory diseases in Scotland surveillance report can be accessed here.

The following panel chart presents the most recent data for Covid levels in wastewater in blue, weekly Covid test positivity shown in red, Covid hospital admissions depicted in orange, and beds occupied by Covid patients in brown.

All Covid indicators in Scotland continued to stay low this week, indicating the risk from the virus remains low.

The final chart in this section compares the test positivity rates for hospital patients with respiratory symptoms for Covid, Flu, and RSV. Flu positivity rates have continued to fall to baseline levels and are now lower than for Covid.

This week, Covid test positivity decreased from 3.7 to 3.5% and activity remained baseline overall. Hospitalisations declined for the second consecutive week, with children aged 0–14 years accounting for 40% of COVID-19 admissions.

In week ending February 5 (the week with the latest data), the BA.3.2 variant accounted for the majority (66.7%) of detected Covid sequences, replacing the previously dominant XFG variant. It is notable that the newly dominant BA.3.2 variant has not led to a significant increase in Covid activity.

Laboratory-confirmed flu cases remained at baseline activity overall this week, with a slight increase in overall test positivity. Hospital admissions fell, with individuals aged 75 years continuing to account for the highest proportion of cases, at 39.6%.

RSV cases and test positivity continued to fall, remaining at a low activity level overall. Hospital admissions also decreased from 91 to 68, with the highest proportion reported in the 1-4 age group (33.8%).

Wales Covid hospital admissions.

During the winter season, Public Health Wales publishes a weekly respiratory infection report, which is available here. The following chart provides the latest trend for weekly hospital admissions for the main respiratory viruses in Wales up to week ending February 22, 2026.

Covid hospital admissions have remained steady over the past few months and are low. Flu cases needing hospitalisation continue to fall and are now much lower than for Covid. RSV admissions also fell and are approaching low levels.

This weeks Weekly Acute Respiratory Infection Report shows that Flu activity has returned to baseline levels. Confirmed case numbers have continued to fall in the current week, as has test positivity.

In addition, GP consultations for influenza-like illness remained stable and are well below the ‘low intensity’ threshold. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) activity is decreasing overall and is now at low intensity levels. Covid case numbers have remained broadly stable in recent weeks.

Status of main respiratory diseases in Northern Ireland.

Public Health Northern Ireland publish a weekly surveillance report on influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and Covid providing an overview of these infections within Northern Ireland.

Covid activity fell across the majority of surveillance indicators and activity levels remain at low levels. Flu activity also has fallen across all surveillance indicators and is now at baseline levels. RSV activity fell across the majority of indicators and is circulating at low levels.

The following chart shows the test positivity rates in Northern Ireland for the main respiratory illnesses — Flu, RSV, and Covid and RSV. Shading represents 95% confidence intervals.

The chart shows that the Covid test positivity rate for patients with respiratory illnesses, marked in blue, fell slightly this week and stayed relatively low. Covid activity also fell across the majority of all other surveillance indicators and remains low.

Flu test positivity, shown in green, has continued to fall along with all other surveillance indicators indicating that the winter Flu wave is over.

Covid Levels in Europe and North America.

This section looks at the latest data on Covid activity in Europe and North America. Covid levels have fallen in most countries across these regions and remain lower than those observed during earlier waves.

The following chart shows latest levels of Covid up to week ending February 19, 2026 as measured by monitoring wastewater in a number of European countries that still publish this information.

This week, Covid levels in wastewater remained low in all European countries that still share this data, with only France showing a slight increase.

The data for the USA was updated on Friday, February 27 to reflect the latest information.

As of week ending February 21, 2026 Covid activity in the USA remained stable, though the situation varies across different parts of the country.

The following chart shows the weekly trend for the national key Covid indicators covering wastewater activity levels, percent of emergency department visits due to Covid, test positivity, and the hospital admission rate in the USA.

The panel chart shows Covid wastewater viral activity levels were stable and remained at moderate activity for the week ending February 21, 2026. Emergency department visits, test positivity, and hospital admissions fall remained broadly stable at relatively low levels.

Wastewater analysis shows that Covid levels are highest in Mid West and Northeast states, while staying relatively low in the West region as illustrated in the following map. Each state is coloured based on activity levels, ranging from very high (dark red) to very low (light green), with grey indicating no data available. States with increasing activity levels are marked with cross-hatching.

The interactive map lets you hover over any state using your cursor to see more details about wastewater viral activity levels. It shows data from states nationwide for the week ending February 21, 2026.

The next chart compares the percentage of Emergency Department visits caused by Covid and Flu. It indicates that while activity for Covid is moderate, Flu activity data has also remained stable at a moderate level nationally.

However, Flu activity varies across states, with cases increasing in 17 and decreasing in 27. While most states are experiencing moderate or low activity levels, four are still facing high or very high activity, as shown on the interactive map.

Finally, the latest data from Canada, up to February 14, 2026, shows that Covid wastewater levels are rising very slowly but remain at moderate levels, flu activity has dropped to low, while RSV activity remained broadly stable.

In conclusion

Although the amount of data currently being published is reduced, the information available for all home nations show that Covid activity is relatively low. Flu activity had fallen from its recent peak and is now at very low levels.

Covid levels in wastewater are low across European countries In the USA, Covid activity also fell slightly and is at moderate levels, but remains at high levels in a some states. Flu activity in both the USA and Canada is falling to low levels

As always, if you have any comments on this Covid Situation Report or suggestions for topics to cover, please post a message below.

Appendix 1. Test positivity rates and prevalence

Positivity rates are derived from the results of hospital laboratory tests conducted on patients exhibiting symptoms of respiratory diseases. Test positivity is the percentage of patients who test positive for Covid of the total number of patients tested. Since the individuals tested for this measure are not a representative sample of the general population it differs from prevalence, which is derived from a representative sample of the population.

This report belongs to a weekly series summarising the Covid situation across the UK's home nations and other countries.

This week's report covers the latest weekly indicators of respiratory illness activity for England, along with the most recent data for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The report also presents the data on Covid levels in selected countries in Europe and North America.

USA charts were updated on Friday, February 20 to reflect the latest available data.

Summary.

Once again the main Covid indicators in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland stayed low, indicating a low level of risk.

Flu activity levels continued to fall across all home nations, indicating that this year’s Flu season is over.

In England, all main indicators of Covid activity remained well within the baseline activity level. Flu and RSV activity has also fallen and is circulating at low activity levels.

In Scotland, all indicators for Covid remained stable and at low levels. Positivity rates and hospital admissions for Flu and RSV have fallen significantly from the recent peak and are also at low levels.

In the past week, Covid hospital admissions in Wales stayed at low levels. Flu admissions continued to fall this week and are now at low activity levels.

In Northern Ireland, Covid activity increased slightly across most surveillance indicators but remained at low levels. Flu and RSV activity has fallen across all indicators.

Covid levels in wastewater remained low in most European countries that still report this data.

Covid activity in the USA for week ending February 7 remained stable this week and at a moderate level of activity nationwide, though there are significant variations from state to state. Flu activity continued to fall, but is still high in a few states.

The NHS Spring 2026 Covid booster campaign is set to run from April 13 to June 30, 2026 and will use the same eligibility criteria as the Autumn 2025 campaign.

As always, it’s important to remember that the risk of hospitalisation from Covid increases significantly with age and for the clinically vulnerable. Therefore, it is important to take appropriate measures such as self-isolating when experiencing Covid symptoms and enhancing ventilation or wearing masks whenever possible.

Status of main respiratory diseases in England.

This section starts with the latest data on test positivity rates for Covid in England. It's important to note that positivity is different from prevalence, which reflects the overall percentage of Covid cases in the general population. Appendix 1 offers a more detailed explanation of the distinction.

The following chart shows the test positivity rate for all Covid tests taken mapped against the UKHSA activity thresholds. The thresholds are based on the historical trend for Covid test positivity and, consequently, represent a relative risk. More details on this approach can be found in the Guide to Covid Surveillance Metrics.

The chart shows that the test positivity rate remained stable this week and continues to be well below the baseline level, indicating a low risk. Positivity rates remained low in all regions, with only slight differences between them.

The next chart highlights four key indicators of Covid in hospitals: weekly Emergency Department visits for Covid-like symptoms, test positivity rates among patients with respiratory issues, hospital admission rates, and admission rates for intensive care.

All key hospital indicators for Covid activity remain at historically low levels indicating a low level of risk.

The following chart shows hospital admission rates per 100,000 for the three main respiratory viruses. Covid admissions are at historic lows, while Flu and RSV cases have peaked and are at low activity levels. Both remain slightly higher than Covid, suggesting they currently pose a bit more of a risk.

While hospital admissions have fallen significantly, they still differ by age. Below are the hospital admission rates per 100,000 people by age group for Covid, Flu, and RSV for the week ending February 15, 2026.

The chart shows that the risk of hospitalisation remains highest among the very youngest age group and the elderly for both Flu and RSV. While current hospital admissions for Covid are slightly lower, the elderly remain more likely to be hospitalised.

Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) positivity rates also fell and are now just within the low level of activity.

Scotland weekly hospital admissions and test positivity

Public Health Scotland (PHS) continue to publish weekly data on Covid hospital admissions and test positivity as well as wastewater monitoring data. The latest Viral respiratory diseases in Scotland surveillance report can be accessed here.

The following panel chart presents the most recent data for Covid levels in wastewater in blue, weekly Covid test positivity shown in red, Covid hospital admissions depicted in orange, and beds occupied by Covid patients in brown.

Once again, all Covid indicators in Scotland stayed low this week, suggesting the risk from the virus remains low.

The final chart in this section compares the test positivity rates for hospital patients with respiratory symptoms for Covid, Flu, and RSV. Flu positivity rates have continued to fall to baseline levels and are now lower than for Covid.

This week, Covid test positivity fell from 4.2 to 3.7% and activity remained at baseline levels overall. Activity is higher in those aged 1-14 compared to other age groups, although there are indications that these are decreasing. Hospitalisations have increased slightly in recent weeks with just over a half of Covid admissions being in children aged 0-14 yrs.

Laboratory-confirmed Flu cases remained at baseline activity , with test positivity remaining stable or decreasing in all age groups. Hospital admissions decreased, with individuals aged 75 years continuing to account for the highest proportion at 36.2%.

RSV cases and test positivity continued to fall and remained at a low activity level overall. Hospital admissions also decreased from 118 to 79, with the highest proportion reported in the over 75 age group (25.3%).

Wales Covid hospital admissions.

During the winter season, Public Health Wales publishes a weekly respiratory infection report, which is available here. The following chart provides the latest trend for weekly hospital admissions for the main respiratory viruses in Wales up to week ending February 15, 2026.

Covid hospital admissions have stayed fairly steady over the past few months and remain low. Flu cases needing hospitalisation continue to fall and are now lower than for Covid. RSV admissions also fell and are approaching low levels.

This weeks Weekly Acute Respiratory Infection Report shows that Flu activity has returned to low levels. Confirmed case numbers have decreased in the current week, as has test positivity.

In addition, GP consultations for influenza-like illness remained stable and are well below the ‘low intensity’ threshold. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) activity is decreasing overall and is now at low intensity levels. Covid case numbers have remained broadly stable in recent weeks.

Status of main respiratory diseases in Northern Ireland.

Public Health Northern Ireland publish a weekly surveillance report on influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and Covid providing an overview of these infections within Northern Ireland.

Covid activity increased across the majority of surveillance indicators but activity levels remain at low levels. Flu activity also has fallen across all surveillance indicators and is now at baseline levels. RSV activity fell across the majority of indicators and is now circulating at low levels.

The following chart shows the test positivity rates in Northern Ireland for the main respiratory illnesses — Flu, RSV, and Covid and RSV. Shading represents 95% confidence intervals.

The chart shows that the Covid test positivity rate for patients with respiratory illnesses, marked in blue, again increased slightly this week but stayed relatively low. Covid activity also increased across the majority of all other surveillance indicators but remains low.

Flu test positivity, shown in green, has continued to fall along with all other surveillance indicators indicating that the winter Flu wave is over.

Covid Levels in Europe and North America.

This section looks at the latest data on Covid activity in Europe and North America. Covid levels have fallen in most countries across these regions and remain lower than those observed during earlier waves.

The following chart shows latest levels of Covid up to week ending February 12, 2026 as measured by monitoring wastewater in a number of European countries that still publish this information.

This week, Covid levels in wastewater remained low in most European countries that still share this data, with only France showing a slight increase. Note that no update was provided for Sweden this week.

The data for the USA was updated on Friday, February 20 to reflect the latest information.

As of week ending February 14, 2026 Covid activity in the USA remained stable, though the situation varies across different parts of the country.

The following chart shows the weekly trend for the national key Covid indicators covering wastewater activity levels, percent of emergency department visits due to Covid, test positivity, and the hospital admission rate in the USA.

The panel chart shows Covid wastewater viral activity levels increased slightly this week but remains at moderate activity for the week ending February 14, 2026. Emergency department visits, test positivity, and hospital admissions fall ell slightly.

Wastewater analysis shows that Covid levels are highest Mid West and Northeast states, starting to rise in the South, while staying relatively low in the West region as illustrated in the following map. Each state is coloured based on activity levels, ranging from very high (dark red) to very low (light green), with grey indicating no data available. States with increasing activity levels are marked with cross-hatching.

The interactive map lets you hover over any state using your cursor to see more details about wastewater viral activity levels. It shows data from states nationwide for the week ending February 14, 2026.

The next chart compares the percentage of Emergency Department visits caused by Covid and Flu. It indicates that while activity for Covid is moderate, Flu activity data has been revised upwards this week and has remained stable at a moderate level nationally.

However, Flu activity varies across states, with cases increasing in 13 and decreasing in 33. While most states are experiencing moderate or low activity levels, seven are still facing high or very high activity, as shown on the interactive map.

Finally, the latest data from Canada, up to February 7, 2026, shows that Covid wastewater levels are holding steady at moderate levels, flu activity has dropped to low, while RSV activity remained broadly stable.

In conclusion

Although the amount of data currently being published is reduced, the information available for all home nations show that Covid activity is relatively low. Flu activity had fallen from its recent peak and is now at very low levels.

Covid levels in wastewater are low across European countries In the USA, Covid activity also fell slightly but remains at high levels in a some states. Flu activity in both the USA and Canada is falling to low levels

As always, if you have any comments on this Covid Situation Report or suggestions for topics to cover, please post a message below.

Appendix 1. Test positivity rates and prevalence

Positivity rates are derived from the results of hospital laboratory tests conducted on patients exhibiting symptoms of respiratory diseases. Test positivity is the percentage of patients who test positive for Covid of the total number of patients tested. Since the individuals tested for this measure are not a representative sample of the general population it differs from prevalence, which is derived from a representative sample of the population.

This report belongs to a weekly series summarising the Covid situation across the UK's home nations and other countries.

This week's report covers the latest weekly indicators of respiratory illness activity for England, along with the most recent data for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The report also presents the data on Covid levels in selected countries in Europe and North America.

Charts for the USA were updated on Friday, Feb 13 to reflect the latest available data.

Summary.

This week the main Covid indicators in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland stayed low, indicating a low level of risk.

Flu activity has continued to fall across all home nations, indicating that this year’s Flu season is over. However, there’s still a chance of some late seasonal activity.

In England, all main indicators of Covid activity remained well within the baseline activity level. Flu activity has fallen from its recent peak and is now circulating at low activity levels.

In Scotland, all indicators for Covid remained stable and within baseline levels though the slight rise in test positivity continued. Positivity rates and hospital admissions for Flu and RSV have fallen significantly from the recent peak and are at low levels.

In the past week, Covid hospital admissions in Wales stayed at low levels. Flu admissions continued to fall this week and are now at low activity levels.

In Northern Ireland, Covid activity increased slightly across some surveillance indicators but remained at low levels. Flu and RSV activity has fallen across all indicators.

Covid levels in wastewater remained low in most European countries that still report this data.

Covid activity in the USA remained broadly stable this week and is at a moderate level of activity nationwide, though there are significant variations from state to state. Flu activity continued to fall, but is still high in some states.

At the close of the Autumn 2025 booster campaign, coverage is highest among residents in care homes, but much lower for immunosuppressed individuals at risk. Scotland recorded the highest coverage, while Northern Ireland had the lowest.

The NHS Spring 2026 Covid booster campaign will use the same eligibility criteria as the Autumn 2025 campaign and is set to run from April 13 to June 30, 2026.

As always, it’s important to remember that the risk of hospitalisation from Covid increases significantly with age and for the clinically vulnerable. Therefore, it is important to take appropriate measures such as self-isolating when experiencing Covid symptoms and enhancing ventilation or wearing masks whenever possible.

Status of main respiratory diseases in England.

This section starts with the latest data on test positivity rates for Covid in England. It's important to note that positivity is different from prevalence, which reflects the overall percentage of Covid cases in the general population. Appendix 1 offers a more detailed explanation of the distinction.

The following chart shows the test positivity rate for all Covid tests taken mapped against the UKHSA activity thresholds. The thresholds are based on the historical trend for Covid test positivity and, consequently, represent a relative risk. More details on this approach can be found in the Guide to Covid Surveillance Metrics.

The chart shows that the test positivity rate increased slightly this week and continues to be well below the baseline level, indicating a low risk. Positivity rates remained low in all regions, with only slight differences between them.

The next chart highlights four key indicators of Covid in hospitals: weekly Emergency Department visits for Covid-like symptoms, test positivity rates among patients with respiratory issues, hospital admission rates, and admission rates for intensive care.

While all key hospital indicators for Covid activity remained at historically low levels there were slight increase in the positivity rate.

The following chart shows hospital admission rates per 100,000 for the three main respiratory viruses. Covid admissions are at historic lows, while Flu and RSV cases have peaked and are now dropping to low activity levels. Both remain slightly higher than Covid, suggesting they currently pose a bit more of a risk.

While the activity levels for most respiratory viruses are falling, Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) levels increased but remained at a moderate level.

Scotland weekly hospital admissions and test positivity

Public Health Scotland (PHS) continue to publish weekly data on Covid hospital admissions and test positivity as well as wastewater monitoring data. The latest Viral respiratory diseases in Scotland surveillance report can be accessed here.

The following panel chart presents the most recent data for Covid levels in wastewater in blue, weekly Covid test positivity shown in red, Covid hospital admissions depicted in orange, and beds occupied by Covid patients in brown.

Once again, all Covid indicators in Scotland stayed low this week, suggesting the risk from the virus remains low, though there was a slight rise in test positivity for the second week in a row.

The final chart in this section compares the test positivity rates for hospital patients with respiratory symptoms for Covid, Flu, and RSV. While Flu positivity rates have continued to fall to low levels they remain higher than for Covid.

Despite influenza levels peaking earlier than expected this season, high activity has not been sustained, with continued decreases seen across all measures.

This week, Covid laboratory test positivity increased from 3.5 to 4% in week 6, though activity remained at baseline levels. Activity remains higher in those aged 1-14 compared to other age groups. Hospitalisations remained stable.

Flu cases remained at baseline activity overall, though with an increase in test positivity in those aged 5-14. Hospital admissions remained stable, with individuals aged 75 years and older accounting for 29.4% of admissions.

RSV cases continued to fall, remaining at a low activity level overall. Hospital admissions due to RSV also fell from 142 to 109, with the highest proportion reported in the 1–4 age group (33%).

Wales Covid hospital admissions.

During the winter season, Public Health Wales publishes a weekly respiratory infection report, which is available here. The following chart provides the latest trend for weekly hospital admissions for the main respiratory viruses in Wales up to week ending Feb 8, 2026.

Covid hospital admissions have stayed fairly steady over the past few months and remain very low. Flu cases needing hospitalisation continue to fall and are now lower than for Covid. RSV admissions also fell and are approaching low levels.

This weeks Weekly Acute Respiratory Infection Report shows that Flu activity has returned to low levels. Confirmed case numbers have decreased in the current week, as has test positivity.

In addition, GP consultations for influenza-like illness remained stable and are well below the ‘low intensity’ threshold. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) activity is decreasing overall but remains at medium intensity levels. Covid case numbers have remained broadly stable in recent weeks.

Status of main respiratory diseases in Northern Ireland.

Public Health Northern Ireland publish a weekly surveillance report on influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and Covid providing an overview of these infections within Northern Ireland.

Covid activity fell across all surveillance indicators and remains at low levels. Flu activity also has fallen across all surveillance indicators and is now at low levels, while RSV activity remained stable across the majority of surveillance indicators and is circulating at moderate levels.

The following chart shows the test positivity rates in Northern Ireland for the main respiratory illnesses — Flu, RSV, and Covid and RSV. Shading represents 95% confidence intervals.

The chart shows that the Covid test positivity rate for patients with respiratory illnesses, marked in blue, increased slightly this week and stayed relatively low. Covid activity increased across the majority of surveillance indicators but remains low.

Flu test positivity, shown in green, has continued to fall along with all other surveillance indicators indicating that the winter Flu wave is over.

Covid Levels in Europe and North America.

This section looks at the latest data on Covid activity in Europe and North America. Covid levels have fallen in most countries across these regions and remain lower than those observed during earlier waves.

The following chart shows latest levels of Covid up to week ending February 5, 2026 as measured by monitoring wastewater in a number of European countries that still publish this information.

This week, Covid levels in wastewater remained low in most European countries that still share this data, with only Denmark staying at moderate levels.

Updated on Friday, February 13 to reflect the latest published data.

As of week ending February 7, 2026 Covid activity in the USA remained stable, though the situation varies across different parts of the country.

The following chart shows the weekly trend for the national key Covid indicators covering wastewater activity levels, percent of emergency department visits due to Covid, test positivity, and the hospital admission rate in the USA.

The panel chart shows Covid levels in wastewater remained stable and are at moderate activity for the week ending February 7, 2026. Emergency department visits and hospital admissions fell slightly, while Covid test positivity remained broadly unchanged.

Wastewater analysis shows that Covid levels are highest Mid West and Northeast states, while staying relatively low in the South and West regions, as illustrated in the following map. Each state is coloured based on activity levels, ranging from very high (dark red) to very low (light green), with grey indicating no data available. States with increasing activity levels are marked with cross-hatching.

The interactive map lets you hover over any state using your cursor to see more details about wastewater viral activity levels. It shows data from states nationwide for the week ending February 7, 2026.

The next chart compares the percentage of Emergency Department visits caused by Covid and Flu. It indicates that while activity for Covid is moderate, Flu activity has has continued to fall and is now at a low level nationally.

However, Flu activity varies across states, with cases increasing in 21 and decreasing in 27. While most states are experiencing moderate or low activity levels, six are still facing high or very high activity, as shown on the interactive map.

Finally, the latest data from Canada, up to January 31, 2026, shows that Covid wastewater levels are holding steady at moderate levels, flu activity has dropped to low, while RSV activity fell this week after last weeks rise.

UK Autumn 2025 Covid Booster Campaign Update

The NHS Autumn 2025 Covid booster campaign closed on January 31, 2026 across all Home Nations. The campaign provided free vaccinations for all individuals aged 75 years and older; residents in care homes for older adults; and immunosuppressed individuals aged 6 months and above.

The following chart shows the coverage for these three eligible groups at the end of the campaign.

Overall, coverage is the highest among residents in care homes, but much lower for immunosuppressed individuals at risk. Scotland recorded the highest coverage, while Northern Ireland had the lowest.

The next chart highlights the overall coverage trends for each booster campaign carried out in England.

Until this booster campaign, coverage had been declining for both the Autumn and Spring campaigns in England. However, for those aged 75 and over, the Autumn 2025 campaign matched the coverage levels seen in Autumn 2024.

The chart shows that, unlike past Autumn campaigns, people aged 65 to 74 weren’t eligible for Covid boosters. On top of that, the rules for being considered immunosuppressed were made stricter, which meant far fewer people qualified for the Autumn 2025 campaign compared to previous years. As a result, in England the number of boosters given during the Autumn 2025 campaign (4.7 million) was just under half of those administered in Autumn 2024 (9.8 million).

Finally, the NHS Spring 2026 Covid booster campaign will use the same eligibility criteria as the Autumn 2025 campaign and is set to run from April 13 to June 30, 2026.

In conclusion

Although the amount of data currently being published is reduced, the information available for all home nations show that Covid activity is relatively low. Flu activity had fallen from its recent peak although and is now at low levels.

Covid levels in wastewater are low across European countries In the USA, Covid activity also fell slightly but remains at high levels in a some states. Flu activity in both the USA and Canada is falling.

As always, if you have any comments on this Covid Situation Report or suggestions for topics to cover, please post a message below.

Appendix 1. Test positivity rates and prevalence

Positivity rates are derived from the results of hospital laboratory tests conducted on patients exhibiting symptoms of respiratory diseases. Test positivity is the percentage of patients who test positive for Covid of the total number of patients tested. Since the individuals tested for this measure are not a representative sample of the general population it differs from prevalence, which is derived from a representative sample of the population.

This report belongs to a weekly series summarising the Covid situation across the UK's home nations and other countries.

This week's report covers the latest weekly indicators of respiratory illness activity for England, along with the most recent data for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The report also presents the data on Covid levels in selected countries in Europe and North America.

Charts for the USA were updated on Friday, Feb 6 to reflect the latest available data.

Summary.

This week the main Covid indicators in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland remained low, indicating a low level of risk.

Flu activity has continued to fall across all home nations, indicating that this year’s Flu season is over. However, there’s still a chance of some late seasonal activity.

In England, the all main indicators of Covid activity remained well within the baseline activity level. Flu activity has again fallen from its recent peak and is now circulating at low activity levels. Hospital admissions remain highest among those over 85 years old with Flu and children under 5 years with RSV.

In Scotland, although all indicators for Covid remained stable and within baseline levels. Positivity rates and hospital admissions for Flu and RSV have fallen significantly from the recent peak and are at low levels of activity.

In the past week, Covid hospital admissions in Wales stayed at low levels. Flu admissions continued to fall this week and are now at low activity levels.

In Northern Ireland, Covid activity remained stable across all surveillance indicators and remains at low levels. Flu and RSV activity has fallen across all indicators.

Covid levels in wastewater remained low in most European countries that still report this data.

Covid activity in the USA again fell slightly last week and is at a moderate level of activity nationwide, though there are significant variations from state to state. Flu activity continued to fall, but is still high in some states.

As always, it’s important to remember that the risk of hospitalisation from Covid increases significantly with age and for the clinically vulnerable. Therefore, it is important to take appropriate measures such as self-isolating when experiencing Covid symptoms and enhancing ventilation or wearing masks whenever possible.

Status of main respiratory diseases in England.

This section begins with the latest data on test positivity rates for Covid in England. It's important to note that positivity is different from prevalence, which reflects the overall percentage of Covid cases in the general population. Appendix 1 offers a more detailed explanation of the distinction.

The following chart shows the test positivity rate for all Covid tests taken mapped against the UKHSA activity thresholds. The thresholds are based on the historical trend for Covid test positivity and, consequently, represent a relative risk. More details on this approach can be found in the Guide to Covid Surveillance Metrics.

The chart shows that the test positivity rate fell slightly this week and continues to be well below the baseline level, indicating a low risk. Positivity rates remained low in all regions, with only slight differences between them.

The next chart highlights four key indicators of Covid in hospitals: weekly Emergency Department visits for Covid-like symptoms, test positivity rates among patients with respiratory issues, hospital admission rates, and admission rates for intensive care.

While all key hospital indicators for Covid activity remained at historically low levels there were slight increase in Emergency Department visits.

The following chart shows hospital admission rates per 100,000 for the three main respiratory viruses. Covid admissions are historically low, while Flu and RSV admissions have peaked and are returning to low activity levels. Both still remain higher than Covid, indicating that Flu and RSV currently pose a slightly greater risk. If you’re experiencing Covid-like symptoms, there’s a good chance it is Flu or RSV.

While hospital admissions are falling, they still differ by age. Below are the hospital admission rates per 100,000 people by age group for Covid, Flu, and RSV for the week ending February 1, 2026.

The chart shows that the risk of hospitalisation remains highest among the very youngest age group and the elderly for both Flu and RSV. While current hospital admissions for Covid are much lower, the elderly remain more likely to be hospitalised.

While the activity levels for most respiratory viruses are falling, Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) levels have remained at a moderate level.

Scotland weekly hospital admissions and test positivity

Public Health Scotland (PHS) continue to publish weekly data on Covid hospital admissions and test positivity as well as wastewater monitoring data. The latest Viral respiratory diseases in Scotland surveillance report can be accessed here.

The following panel chart presents the most recent data for Covid levels in wastewater in blue, weekly Covid test positivity shown in red, Covid hospital admissions depicted in orange, and beds occupied by Covid patients in brown.

Once again, all Covid indicators in Scotland stayed stable and low this week, indicating the risk from the virus remains low.

The final chart in this section compares the test positivity rates for hospital patients with respiratory symptoms for Covid, Flu, and RSV. While Flu positivity rates have continued to fall to low levels they remain higher than for Covid.

Despite influenza levels peaking earlier than expected this season, high activity has not been sustained, with continued decreases seen across all measures.

Laboratory-confirmed Flu cases continued to fall to 125 from the peak of 1,994, with overall activity remaining at baseline for this week. Test positivity also fell and hospital admissions for Flu also decreased from 139 to 82, with individuals aged 75 years and older accounting for 29.3% of admissions.

RSV laboratory‑confirmed cases fell to low levels this week with test positivity falling to 8.1% from 9.9%. Hospital admissions due to RSV also decreased; the highest proportion occurred in under 1 age group followed by the 1–4 age group.

Although Covid test positivity increased slightly this week, overall activity remained stable and within baseline levels. Activity rose from low to medium among 5–14 year olds, while dropping to low in children under four. Hospitalisations also declined, falling to 77 from 85 the week before.

Wales Covid hospital admissions.

During the winter season, Public Health Wales publishes a weekly respiratory infection report, which is available here. The following chart provides the latest trend for weekly hospital admissions for the main respiratory viruses in Wales up to week ending Feb 1, 2026.

Covid hospital admissions have stayed fairly steady over the past few months and remain very low. Flu cases needing hospitalisation continue to fall and are now lower than for Covid. RSV admissions also fell but remain at moderate levels.

This weeks Weekly Acute Respiratory Infection Report shows that Flu activity has returned to low levels, but warns that the potential remains for late seasonal activity. Confirmed case numbers have decreased in the current week, as has test positivity.

In addition, GP consultations for influenza-like illness have fallen below the ‘low intensity’ threshold. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) activity is decreasing overall but remains at medium intensity levels. Covid case numbers have remained broadly stable in recent weeks.

Status of main respiratory diseases in Northern Ireland.

Public Health Northern Ireland publish a weekly surveillance report on influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and Covid providing an overview of these infections within Northern Ireland.

Covid activity fell across all surveillance indicators and remains at low levels. Flu activity also has fallen across all surveillance indicators and is now at low levels, while RSV activity remained stable across the majority of surveillance indicators and is circulating at moderate levels.

The following chart shows the test positivity rates in Northern Ireland for the main respiratory illnesses — Flu, RSV, and Covid and RSV. Shading represents 95% confidence intervals.

The chart shows that the Covid test positivity rate for patients with respiratory illnesses, marked in blue, fell slightly this week and stayed relatively low. Flu test positivity, shown in green, has continued to fall indicating that the winter Flu wave is over.

Covid Levels in Europe and North America.

This section looks at the latest data on Covid activity in Europe and North America. Covid levels have fallen in most countries across these regions and remain lower than those observed during earlier waves.

The following chart shows latest levels of Covid up to week ending January 29, 2026 as measured by monitoring wastewater in a number of European countries that still publish this information.

This week, Covid levels in wastewater dropped in most European countries that still share this data, with only Denmark and Sweden reporting increases while staying at moderately low levels.

Updated on Friday, February 6 to reflect the latest published data.

As of week ending January 31, 2026, Covid activity in the USA continued to fall, though the situation varies across different parts of the country.

The following chart shows the weekly trend for the national key Covid indicators covering wastewater activity levels, percent of emergency department visits due to Covid, test positivity, and the hospital admission rate in the USA.

The panel chart shows Covid levels in wastewater remained stable and are at moderate activity for the week ending January 31, 2026. Emergency department visits and hospital admissions also fell, while Covid test positivity remained broadly unchanged.

Wastewater analysis shows that Covid levels are highest Mid West and Northeast states, while staying relatively low in the South and West regions, as illustrated in the following map. Each state is coloured based on activity levels, ranging from very high (dark red) to very low (light green), with grey indicating no data available. States with increasing activity levels are marked with cross-hatching.

The interactive map lets you hover over any state using your cursor to see more details about wastewater viral activity levels. It shows data from states nationwide for the week ending January 31, 2026.

The next chart compares the percentage of Emergency Department visits caused by Covid and Flu. It indicates that while activity for Covid is moderate, Flu activity has has continued to fall and is now at a moderate level.

Flu activity varies across states, with cases increasing in 24 and decreasing in 23. While most states are experiencing moderate levels, seven are still facing high or very high activity, as shown on the interactive map.

Finally, the latest data from Canada, up to January 24, 2026, shows that Covid wastewater levels are holding steady at moderate levels, flu activity has dropped to low, but RSV activity is on the rise.

In conclusion

Although the amount of data currently being published is reduced, the information available for all home nations show that Covid activity is relatively low. Flu activity had fallen from its recent peak although and is now at low levels.

Covid levels in wastewater are dropping across European countries and are low in most areas. In the USA, Covid activity also fell slightly but remains at high levels in a some states. Flu activity in both the USA and Canada is falling.

As always, if you have any comments on this Covid Situation Report or suggestions for topics to cover, please post a message below.

Appendix 1. Test positivity rates and prevalence

Positivity rates are derived from the results of hospital laboratory tests conducted on patients exhibiting symptoms of respiratory diseases. Test positivity is the percentage of patients who test positive for Covid of the total number of patients tested. Since the individuals tested for this measure are not a representative sample of the general population it differs from prevalence, which is derived from a representative sample of the population.

This report belongs to a weekly series summarising the Covid situation across the UK's home nations and other countries.

This week's report covers the latest weekly indicators of respiratory illness activity for England, along with the most recent data for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The report also presents the data on Covid levels in selected countries in Europe and North America.

Charts for the USA were updated on Friday, January 30 to reflect the latest available data.

Summary.

This week the main Covid indicators in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland remained low, indicating a low level of risk. However, there were slight increases in some indicators for England and Northern Ireland.

Flu activity has continued to fall across all home nations, indicating that this years winter Flu season is almost over.

In England, the Covid test positivity rate and key hospital indicators showed mixed trends this week, but remain well within the baseline activity level. Flu activity has again fallen from its recent peak and is now circulating at low activity levels. Hospital admissions remain highest among those over 85 years old with Flu and children under 5 years with RSV.

In Scotland, all indicators of Covid activity remained at low levels of activity this week. Positivity rates and hospital admissions for Flu have fallen significantly from the recent peak and are at low levels of activity.

In the past week, Covid hospital admissions in Wales stayed at low levels. Flu admissions continued to fall this week and are returning to low activity levels.

In Northern Ireland, Covid activity increased across some surveillance indicators but remains at low levels. Flu activity has fallen across all indicators.

Covid levels in wastewater fell in most European countries that still report this data.

Covid activity in the USA again fell slightly last week and is at a medium level of activity nationwide, though there are significant variations from state to state. Flu activity continued to fall, but is still high in some states.

As always, it’s important to remember that the risk of hospitalisation from Covid increases significantly with age and for the clinically vulnerable. Therefore, it is important to take appropriate measures such as self-isolating when experiencing Covid symptoms and enhancing ventilation or wearing masks whenever possible.

Status of main respiratory diseases in England.

This section begins with the latest data on test positivity rates for Covid in England. It's important to note that positivity is different from prevalence, which reflects the overall percentage of Covid cases in the general population. Appendix 1 offers a more detailed explanation of the distinction.

The following chart shows the test positivity rate for all Covid tests taken mapped against the UKHSA activity thresholds. The thresholds are based on the historical trend for Covid test positivity and, consequently, represent a relative risk. More details on this approach can be found in the Guide to Covid Surveillance Metrics.

The chart shows that the test positivity rate increased slightly this week but continues to be well below the baseline level, indicating a low risk. Positivity rates remained low in all regions, with only slight differences between them.

The next chart highlights four key indicators of Covid in hospitals: weekly Emergency Department visits for Covid-like symptoms, test positivity rates among patients with respiratory issues, hospital admission rates, and admission rates for intensive care.

While all key hospital indicators for Covid activity remained at historically low levels there were slight increases in Emergency Department visits and the positivity rate.

The following chart shows hospital admission rates per 100,000 for the three main respiratory viruses. Covid admissions are historically low, while Flu and RSV admissions have peaked and are returning to low activity levels. Both still remain higher than Covid, indicating that Flu and RSV currently pose a slightly greater risk. If you’re experiencing Covid-like symptoms, there’s a good chance it is Flu or RSV.

While hospital admissions are falling, they still differ by age. Below are the hospital admission rates per 100,000 people by age group for Covid, Flu, and RSV for the week ending January 25, 2026.

The chart shows that the risk of hospitalisation remains highest among the very youngest age group and the elderly for both Flu and RSV. While current hospital admissions for Covid are much lower, the elderly remain more likely to be hospitalised.

While the activity levels for most respiratory viruses are falling, Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) levels have increased recently although they remain at a moderately low level.

Scotland weekly hospital admissions and test positivity

Public Health Scotland (PHS) continue to publish weekly data on Covid hospital admissions and test positivity as well as wastewater monitoring data. The latest Viral respiratory diseases in Scotland surveillance report can be accessed here.

The following panel chart presents the most recent data for Covid levels in wastewater in blue, weekly Covid test positivity shown in red, Covid hospital admissions depicted in orange, and beds occupied by Covid patients in brown.

Once again, all Covid indicators in Scotland stayed stable and low this week, indicating the risk from the virus remains low.

The final chart in this section compares the test positivity rates for hospital patients with respiratory symptoms for Covid, Flu, and RSV. While Flu positivity rates have continued to fall to low levels they remain higher than for Covid.

Despite influenza levels peaking earlier than expected this season, high activity has not been sustained, with continued decreases seen across all measures.

Wales Covid hospital admissions.

During the winter season, Public Health Wales publishes a weekly respiratory infection report, which is available here. The following chart provides the latest trend for weekly hospital admissions for the main respiratory viruses in Wales up to week ending Jan 25, 2026.

Covid hospital admissions have stayed fairly steady over the past few months and remain very low at baseline levels. Flu cases needing hospitalisation are falling, while RSV admissions remain stable at moderate levels.

This weeks Weekly Acute Respiratory Infection Report shows that Flu activity is returning to low levels, but potential remains for late seasonal activity. Confirmed case numbers have decreased in the current week, as has test positivity.

In addition, GP consultations for influenza-like illness have fallen below the ‘low intensity’ threshold. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) activity is decreasing overall but remains at medium intensity levels. Covid case numbers have remained broadly stable in recent weeks.

Status of main respiratory diseases in Northern Ireland.

Public Health Northern Ireland publish a weekly surveillance report on influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and Covid providing an overview of these infections within Northern Ireland.

Covid activity increased across some surveillance indicators but remains at low levels. Meanwhile, Flu activity has fallen across all surveillance indicators and is reaching low levels, while RSV activity increased slightly across the majority of surveillance indicators and is circulating at moderate levels.

The following chart shows the test positivity rates in Northern Ireland for the main respiratory illnesses — Flu, RSV, and Covid and RSV. Shading represents 95% confidence intervals.

The chart shows that the Covid test positivity rate for patients with respiratory illnesses, marked in blue, increased slightly this week although remaining relatively low. Flu test positivity, shown in green, has continued to fall confirming that the winter Flu wave is over.

Covid Levels in Europe and North America.

This section looks at the latest data on Covid activity in Europe and North America. Covid levels have fallen in most countries across these regions and remain lower than those observed during earlier waves.

The following chart shows latest levels of Covid up to week ending January 22, 2026 as measured by monitoring wastewater in a number of European countries that still publish this information.

This week, Covid levels in wastewater dropped in most European countries that still share this data, with only Denmark and Austria reporting increases while staying at moderate levels.

Updated on Friday, January 30 to reflect the latest published data.

As of week ending January 24, 2026, Covid activity in the USA continued to fall, though the situation varies across different parts of the country.

The following chart shows the weekly trend for the national key Covid indicators covering wastewater activity levels, percent of emergency department visits due to Covid, test positivity, and the hospital admission rate in the USA.

The panel chart shows Covid levels in wastewater fell slightly and are now moderate for the week ending January 24, 2026. Emergency department visits and hospital admissions also fell, while Covid test positivity remained broadly unchanged.

Wastewater analysis shows that Covid levels are highest Mid West and Northeast states, while staying relatively low in the South and West regions, as illustrated in the following map. Each state is coloured based on activity levels, ranging from very high (dark red) to very low (light green), with grey indicating no data available. States with increasing activity levels are marked with cross-hatching.

The interactive map lets you hover over any state using your cursor to see more details about wastewater viral activity levels. It shows data from states nationwide for the week ending January 24, 2026.

The next chart compares the percentage of Emergency Department visits caused by Covid and Flu. It indicates that while activity for Covid is moderate, Flu activity has has continued to fall and is now at a moderately low level.

Flu activity varies across states, with cases falling in 29 states, with only 6 still seeing high or very high levels, as shown on the interactive map.

Finally, the latest data from Canada, up to January 17, 2026, shows that Covid wastewater levels remain steady at moderate levels, while flu activity has fallen to low activity levels.

In conclusion

Although the amount of data currently being published is reduced, the information available for all home nations show that Covid activity is relatively low. Flu activity had fallen from its recent peak although and is now at low levels.

Covid levels in wastewater are dropping across European countries and are low in most areas. In the USA, Covid activity also fell slightly but remains at high levels in a some states. Flu activity in both the USA and Canada is falling.

As always, if you have any comments on this Covid Situation Report or suggestions for topics to cover, please post a message below.

Appendix 1. Test positivity rates and prevalence

Positivity rates are derived from the results of hospital laboratory tests conducted on patients exhibiting symptoms of respiratory diseases. Test positivity is the percentage of patients who test positive for Covid of the total number of patients tested. Since the individuals tested for this measure are not a representative sample of the general population it differs from prevalence, which is derived from a representative sample of the population.

This report belongs to a weekly series summarising the Covid situation across the UK's home nations and other countries.

This week's report covers the latest weekly indicators of respiratory illness activity for England, along with the most recent data for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The report also presents the data on Covid levels in selected countries in Europe and North America.

Online version updated on January 23, 2026 with latest USA data.

Summary.

2026 continues with good news as the main Covid indicators in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland remain low, signalling a low level of risk.

Flu activity has continued to fall across all home nations, indicating that this years winter Flu season is almost over.

In England, the Covid test positivity rate and key hospital indicators stayed steady this week, well within the baseline activity level. Flu activity has again fallen from its recent peak and is now circulating at low activity levels. Hospital admissions remain highest among those over 85 years old with Flu and children under 5 years with RSV.

In Scotland, all indicators of Covid activity remained at low levels of activity this week. Positivity rates and hospital admissions for Flu have fallen significantly from the recent peak and are approaching low levels of activity.

In the past week, Covid hospital admissions in Wales stayed at low levels. Flu hospital admissions continued to fall this week but remain at medium activity levels.

In Northern Ireland, Covid activity was stable across all surveillance indicators in the past week and remains at low levels. Flu activity has fallen across all indicators.

Covid levels in wastewater fell in most European countries that still report this data.

Covid activity in the USA fell slightly this week and has returned to a medium level of activity nationwide, though there are significant variations from state to state. Flu activity is starting to fall, but is still high in many states.

Free vaccinations in the Autumn 2025 booster campaign will be available for adults aged 75 and older; residents in care homes for older adults; and immunosuppressed individuals aged 6 months and above until January 31, 2026.

People registered with a GP surgery in England can check their eligibility and book a vaccination appointment through this link.

Book a Covid Booster

Details of booking a free NHS Covid vaccination in Scotland can be found here, for Wales here, and in Northern Ireland here.

As always, it’s important to remember that the risk of hospitalisation from Covid increases significantly with age and for the clinically vulnerable. Therefore, it is important to take appropriate measures such as self-isolating when experiencing Covid symptoms and enhancing ventilation or wearing masks whenever possible.

Status of main respiratory diseases in England.

This section begins with the latest data on test positivity rates for Covid in England. It's important to note that positivity is different from prevalence, which reflects the overall percentage of Covid cases in the general population. Appendix 1 offers a more detailed explanation of the distinction.

The following chart shows the test positivity rate for all Covid tests taken mapped against the UKHSA activity thresholds. The thresholds are based on the historical trend for Covid test positivity and, consequently, represent a relative risk. More details on this approach can be found in the Guide to Covid Surveillance Metrics.

The chart shows that the test positivity rate remained stable this week and continues to be well below the baseline level, indicating a low risk. Positivity rates remained low in all regions, with only slight differences between them.

The next chart highlights four key indicators of Covid in hospitals: weekly Emergency Department visits for Covid-like symptoms, test positivity rates among patients with respiratory issues, hospital admission rates, and admission rates for intensive care.

All key hospital indicators for Covid activity remained stable this week and overall activity is at historically low levels.

The following chart shows hospital admission rates per 100,000 for the three main respiratory viruses. Covid admissions are historically low, while Flu and RSV admissions have peaked and are close to low activity levels. However, both remain higher than Covid, indicating that Flu and RSV currently pose a greater risk. If you’re experiencing Covid-like symptoms, there’s a good chance it is Flu or RSV.

While hospital admissions are falling, they still differ by age. Below are the hospital admission rates per 100,000 people by age group for Covid, Flu, and RSV for the week ending January 18, 2026.

The chart shows that the risk of hospitalisation remains highest among the very youngest age group and the elderly for both Flu and RSV. While current hospital admissions for Covid are much lower, the elderly remain more likely to be hospitalised.

Although the activity levels for most respiratory viruses are falling, Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) levels are increasing although it remains at a moderately low level.

Finally, while Flu activity is falling, it’s still a good idea to check your eligibility and book a free vaccination through the following link if you have not already done so.

Flu vaccinations in England

Scotland weekly hospital admissions and test positivity

Public Health Scotland (PHS) continue to publish weekly data on Covid hospital admissions and test positivity as well as wastewater monitoring data. The latest Viral respiratory diseases in Scotland surveillance report can be accessed here.

The following panel chart presents the most recent data for Covid levels in wastewater in blue, weekly Covid test positivity shown in red, Covid hospital admissions depicted in orange, and beds occupied by Covid patients in brown.

Once again, all Covid indicators in Scotland stayed stable and low this week, indicating the risk from the virus remains low.

The final chart in this section compares the test positivity rates for hospital patients with respiratory symptoms for Covid, Flu, and RSV. While Flu positivity rates have continued to fall they remain higher than for Covid.

Despite influenza levels peaking earlier than expected this season, high activity has not been sustained, with continued decreases seen across all measures. Confirmed cases fell by 33%, from 505 last week to 335 this week, remaining at low activity overall. There were 179 hospital admissions due to Flu this week, down from 239 in the previous week; more than 39% were among those aged 75 years and older. Influenza A(H3N2) continues to dominate.

RSV case rates have fallen this week, although test positivity increased slightly from 8.9% to 9.1%. RSV test positivity increased in children 1-5 years and those aged over 75 years but decreased or remained stable in all other ages groups. Hospital admissions due to RSV decreased to 134; the highest proportion occurred in infants under 1 year, followed by children aged 1-4 years and adults aged 75 and over.

Although the Flu season is coming to an end in Scotland, it’s still possible to check if you're eligible for a free Flu vaccination here. If you haven't been contacted yet, you can still book your vaccination using the following link.

Flu vaccinations in Scotland

Wales Covid hospital admissions.

During the winter season, Public Health Wales publishes a weekly respiratory infection report, which is available here. The following chart provides the latest trend for weekly hospital admissions for the main respiratory viruses in Wales up to week ending Jan 18, 2026.

Covid hospital admissions have stayed fairly steady over the past few months and remain very low at baseline levels. Flu cases needing hospitalisation are falling, while RSV admissions remain stable at moderate levels.

This weeks Weekly Acute Respiratory Infection Report shows that Flu whilst activity is at a medium level it is returning to low intensity levels. Confirmed case numbers have decreased in the current week, as has test positivity. In the week ending January 11, 2026, GP consultations for influenza-like illness are now at baseline levels.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) activity is also on the decline, though at a slower pace, and remains at medium intensity levels.

Free Flu vaccinations are still available for individuals aged 65 and older, certain young children, pregnant women, and those with specific medical conditions. You can check your eligibility and book a vaccination through the provided link.

Flu vaccinations in Wales

Status of main respiratory diseases in Northern Ireland.

Public Health Northern Ireland publish a weekly surveillance report on influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and Covid providing an overview of these infections within Northern Ireland.

Covid activity activity has remained stable and at low levels across all surveillance indicators. Meanwhile, Flu activity has fallen across all surveillance indicators and is approaching low levels, while RSV activity has decreased across most surveillance indicators and is circulating at moderate levels.

The following chart shows the test positivity rates in Northern Ireland for the main respiratory illnesses — Flu, RSV, and Covid and RSV. Shading represents 95% confidence intervals.

The chart shows that the Covid test positivity rate for patients with respiratory illnesses, marked in blue, has again remained stable this week, indicating a low level of Covid activity. Flu test positivity, shown in green, has continued to fall confirming that this wave has peaked.

Information about who qualifies for free flu vaccinations and how to schedule an appointment can be found at the provided link.

Flu vaccinations in Northern Ireland

Covid Levels in Europe and North America.

This section looks at the latest data on Covid activity in Europe and North America. Covid levels have fallen in most countries across these regions and remain lower than those observed during earlier waves.

The following chart shows latest levels of Covid up to week ending January 15, 2026 as measured by monitoring wastewater in a number of European countries that still publish this information.

This week, Covid levels in wastewater dropped in most European countries that still share this data, with only Denmark and Austria reporting increases while staying at moderate levels.

As of week ending January 17, 2026, Covid activity in the USA continued to fall, though the situation varies across different parts of the country.

The following chart shows the weekly trend for the national key Covid indicators covering wastewater activity levels, percent of emergency department visits due to Covid, test positivity, and the hospital admission rate in the USA.

The panel chart shows Covid levels in wastewater fell slightly and are now moderate for the week ending January 17, 2026. Emergency department visits and hospital admissions also fell, while Covid test positivity remained broadly unchanged.

Wastewater analysis shows that Covid levels are highest Mid West and Northeast states, while staying relatively low in the South and West regions, as illustrated in the following map. Each state is coloured based on activity levels, ranging from very high (dark red) to very low (light green), with grey indicating no data available. States with increasing activity levels are marked with cross-hatching.

The interactive map lets you hover over any state using your cursor to see more details about wastewater viral activity levels. It shows data from states nationwide for the week ending January 17, 2026.

The next chart compares the percentage of Emergency Department visits caused by Covid and Flu. It indicates that while activity for Covid is moderate, Flu activity has has continued to fall and is now at a moderate level.

Flu activity varies across states, with cases falling in 42 states, with only 6 still seeing high or very high levels, as shown on the interactive map.

Finally, the latest data from Canada, up to January 10, 2026, shows that Covid wastewater levels remain steady at moderate levels, while flu activity has peaked.

In conclusion

Although the amount of data currently being published is reduced, the information available for all home nations show that Covid activity is relatively low. Flu activity had fallen from its recent peak although and is approaching low levels.

Covid levels in wastewater are falling in most European countries. In the USA, Covid activity also fell slightly but remains at high levels in a some states. Flu activity in both the USA and Canada has started to fall.

As always, if you have any comments on this Covid Situation Report or suggestions for topics to cover, please post a message below.

Appendix 1. Test positivity rates and prevalence

Positivity rates are derived from the results of hospital laboratory tests conducted on patients exhibiting symptoms of respiratory diseases. Test positivity is the percentage of patients who test positive for Covid of the total number of patients tested. Since the individuals tested for this measure are not a representative sample of the general population it differs from prevalence, which is derived from a representative sample of the population.

This report belongs to a weekly series summarising the Covid situation across the UK's home nations and other countries.

This week's report covers the latest weekly indicators of respiratory illness activity for England, along with the most recent data for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The report also presents the data on Covid levels in selected countries in Europe and North America.

Summary.

2026 continues the good news with the main Covid indicators in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland remaining low, indicating a low level of risk.

Flu and RSV activity has fallen to medium levels for all home nations, indicating that this years winter Flu season has peaked.

In England, the Covid test positivity rate and key hospital indicators stayed steady this week, well within the baseline activity level. Although Flu activity has fallen from its recent peak and is now circulating at medium levels. Hospital admissions remain highest among those over 85 years old with Flu and children under 5 years with RSV.

In Scotland, all indicators of Covid activity remained at low levels of activity this week. Positivity rates and hospital admissions for Flu have fallen significantly from the recent peak but remain at medium levels of activity.

In the past week, Covid hospital admissions in Wales remained at low levels of activity. Flu hospital admissions fell this week but are still at medium activity levels.

In Northern Ireland, Covid activity was stable across all surveillance indicators in the past week and remains at low levels. Flu activity has fallen across all indicators.

Covid levels in wastewater fell in most European countries that still report this data.

Covid activity in the USA continued to increase and is now at a high level nationwide, though there are significant variations from state to state. Flu activity has risen sharply and is at high levels in many states.

Free vaccinations in the Autumn 2025 booster campaign will be available for adults aged 75 and older; residents in care homes for older adults; and immunosuppressed individuals aged 6 months and above until January 31, 2026.

People registered with a GP surgery in England can check their eligibility and book a vaccination appointment through this link.

Book a Covid Booster

Details of booking a free NHS Covid vaccination in Scotland can be found here, for Wales here, and in Northern Ireland here.

As always, it’s important to remember that the risk of hospitalisation from Covid increases significantly with age and for the clinically vulnerable. Therefore, it is important to take appropriate measures such as self-isolating when experiencing Covid symptoms and enhancing ventilation or wearing masks whenever possible.

Status of main respiratory diseases in England.

This section begins with the latest data on test positivity rates for Covid in England. It's important to note that positivity is different from prevalence, which reflects the overall percentage of Covid cases in the general population. Appendix 1 offers a more detailed explanation of the distinction.

The following chart shows the test positivity rate for all Covid tests taken mapped against the UKHSA activity thresholds. The thresholds are based on the historical trend for Covid test positivity and, consequently, represent a relative risk. More details on this approach can be found in the Guide to Covid Surveillance Metrics.

The chart shows that the test positivity rate remained stable this week and continues to be well below the baseline level, indicating a low risk. Positivity rates remained low in all regions, with only slight differences between them.

The next chart highlights four key indicators of Covid in hospitals: weekly Emergency Department visits for Covid-like symptoms, test positivity rates among patients with respiratory issues, hospital admission rates, and admission rates for intensive care.

All key hospital indicators for Covid activity remained stable this week and overall activity is at historically low levels.

The following chart shows hospital admission rates per 100,000 for the three main respiratory viruses. Covid admissions are historically low, while Flu and RSV admissions have peaked and are at medium activity levels. However, both remain higher than Covid, indicating that Flu and RSV currently pose a greater risk. If you’re experiencing Covid-like symptoms, there’s a good chance it is Flu or RSV.

The last chart in this section shows hospital admission rates per 100,000 people by age group for Covid, Flu, and RSV for the week ending January 11, 2026.

The chart clearly shows that the risk of hospitalisation remains highest among the very youngest age group and the elderly for both Flu and RSV. While current hospital admissions for Covid are much lower, the elderly remain more likely to be hospitalised.

Although Flu activity is falling, it’s still a good idea to check your eligibility and book a free vaccination through the following link if you have not already done so.

Flu vaccinations in England

Scotland weekly hospital admissions and test positivity

Public Health Scotland (PHS) continue to publish weekly data on Covid hospital admissions and test positivity as well as wastewater monitoring data. The latest Viral respiratory diseases in Scotland surveillance report can be accessed here.

The following panel chart presents the most recent data for Covid levels in wastewater in blue, weekly Covid test positivity shown in red, Covid hospital admissions depicted in orange, and beds occupied by Covid patients in brown.

Once again, all Covid indicators in Scotland stayed stable and low this week, indicating the risk from the virus remains low.

The final chart in this section compares the test positivity rates for hospital patients with respiratory symptoms for Covid, Flu, and RSV. While Flu positivity rates have continued to fall they remain higher than for Covid.

Although Flu levels peaked earlier than expected this season, the high activity hasn’t lasted, with steady drops across all measures. Confirmed cases fell by 18.3%, from 602 last week to 492 this week, keeping overall activity low. Hospital admissions also declined, with 226 this week compared to 303 the week before; over 38% were among people aged 75 and older. Influenza A(H3N2) remains the dominant strain.

RSV case rates have dropped compared to the previous week, with test positivity falling from 11.4% to 8.7%. Test positivity is going down among children under 14 and in the 15–44 and 65–74 age groups, but it’s still rising in adults aged 45–64 and those over 75. Hospital admissions due to RSV are down to 169, with infants under 1 year making up 28.4% of admissions and adults 75 and older accounting for 25.4%.

Although the Flu season is coming to an end in Scotland, it’s still possible to check if you're eligible for a free Flu vaccination here. If you haven't been contacted yet, you can still book your vaccination using the following link.

Flu vaccinations in Scotland

Wales Covid hospital admissions.

During the winter season, Public Health Wales publishes a weekly respiratory infection report, which is available here. The following chart provides the latest trend for weekly hospital admissions for the main respiratory viruses in Wales up to week ending Jan 11, 2026.

Covid hospital admissions have stayed fairly steady over the past few weeks and remain very low. Flu cases needing hospitalisation are falling, while RSV admissions remain stable at moderate levels.

This weeks Weekly Acute Respiratory Infection Report shows that Flu activity remains at a medium level. Confirmed case numbers have decreased in the current week, as has test positivity. In the week ending January 4, 2026, GP consultations for influenza-like illness dropped to low levels.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) activity is also decreasing and is now at medium intensity levels.

Free Flu vaccinations are still available for individuals aged 65 and older, certain young children, pregnant women, and those with specific medical conditions. You can check your eligibility and book a vaccination through the provided link.

Flu vaccinations in Wales

Status of main respiratory diseases in Northern Ireland.

Public Health Northern Ireland publish a weekly surveillance report on influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and Covid providing an overview of these infections within Northern Ireland.

Covid activity activity has remained stable and at low levels across all surveillance indicators. Meanwhile, Flu activity has fallen across all surveillance indicators while RSV activity has decreased across most surveillance indicators and is circulating at moderately low levels.

The following chart shows the test positivity rates in Northern Ireland for the main respiratory illnesses — Flu, RSV, and Covid and RSV. Shading represents 95% confidence intervals.

The chart shows that the Covid test positivity rate for patients with respiratory illnesses, marked in blue, has again remained stable this week, indicating a low level of Covid activity. Flu test positivity, shown in green, has continued to fall confirming that this wave has peaked.

Information about who qualifies for free flu vaccinations and how to schedule an appointment can be found at the provided link.

Flu vaccinations in Northern Ireland

Covid Levels in Europe and North America.

This section looks at the latest data on Covid activity in Europe and North America. While Covid levels have increased in several countries across these regions, they generally remain lower than those observed during earlier waves.

The following chart shows the latest levels of Covid up to week ending January 8, 2026 as measured by monitoring wastewater in a number of European countries that still publish this information.

This week, Covid levels in wastewater dropped in most European countries that still share this data, with only France seeing a slight increase but staying at low levels.

As of week ending January 3, 2026, Covid activity in the USA continues to increase, though the situation varies across different parts of the country.

The following chart shows the weekly trend for the national key Covid indicators covering wastewater activity levels, percent of emergency department visits due to Covid, test positivity, and the hospital admission rate in the USA.

The panel chart shows Covid levels in wastewater have climbed and are now high for the week ending January 3, 2026. Emergency department visits and Covid test positivity have also increased to moderate levels, while hospital admissions remain relatively low.

Wastewater analysis shows that Covid levels are highest in the Northeast and Mid West states, while staying relatively low in the South and West regions, as illustrated in the map below. Each state is coloured based on activity levels, ranging from very high (dark red) to very low (light green), with grey indicating no data available. States with increasing activity levels are marked with cross-hatching.

The interactive map lets you hover over any state using your cursor to see more details about wastewater viral activity levels. It shows data from states nationwide for the week ending January 3, 2026.

The next chart compares the percentage of Emergency Department visits caused by Covid and Flu. It indicates that while activity for Covid is moderate, Flu activity has continued to increase significantly and is at a high level.

Flu activity levels also differ across states, as shown on the following interactive map, with cases on the rise in 28 states, including 21 experiencing high or very high levels.

Finally, the latest data from Canada, up to December 27, 2025, shows that Covid wastewater levels remain steady at moderate levels, while flu activity may have peaked.

In conclusion

Although the amount of data currently being published is reduced, the information available for all home nations show that Covid activity is relatively low. Flu activity had fallen from its recent peak although is still at moderate levels.

Covid levels in wastewater are falling in most European countries. In the USA, Covid activity is increasing and at high levels with a few states showing very high levels. Flu activity in both the USA and Canada has increased significantly over the past few weeks.

As always, if you have any comments on this Covid Situation Report or suggestions for topics to cover, please post a message below.

Appendix 1. Test positivity rates and prevalence

Positivity rates are derived from the results of hospital laboratory tests conducted on patients exhibiting symptoms of respiratory diseases. Test positivity is the percentage of patients who test positive for Covid of the total number of patients tested. Since the individuals tested for this measure are not a representative sample of the general population it differs from prevalence, which is derived from a representative sample of the population.

This report belongs to a weekly series summarising the Covid situation across the UK's home nations and other countries.

As this is the first report of 2026, I’d like to welcome readers back after the break and wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year!

This week's report covers the latest weekly indicators of respiratory illness activity for England, along with the most recent data for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The report also presents the data on Covid levels in selected countries in Europe and North America. Finally, there’s an update on the latest status of the Autumn 2025 Covid booster campaign including data on inequalities in coverage across England.

Summary.

2026 starts with the main Covid indicators in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland remaining low, indicating a low level of risk.

Flu and RSV activity remains at medium levels for all home nations, although there are signs that this years winter Flu season has peaked.

In England, the Covid test positivity rate and key hospital indicators stayed steady this week, well within the baseline activity level. Although Flu activity has fallen from its recent peak and is now circulating at medium levels, this weeks activity showed mixed trends. Hospital admissions remain highest among people over 85 years old with Flu and children under 5 years with RSV.

In Scotland, all indicators of Covid activity remained at low levels of activity this week. Positivity rates and hospital admissions for Flu have fallen significantly from the recent peak but remain at medium levels of activity.

In the past week, Covid hospital admissions in Wales remained at low levels of activity. Flu-related hospital admissions have dropped from their recent peak but held steady this week, staying at medium activity levels.

In Northern Ireland, Covid activity was stable across all surveillance indicators in the past week and remains at low levels. Flu activity has fallen across most indicators.

This week sees a mixed picture for European countries reporting Covid levels in wastewater. Levels increased in some countries, though activity levels varied considerable between countries.

This week, Covid activity in the USA has risen to a moderate level nationwide, though there are significant variations from state to state. Flu activity has risen sharply and is at high levels in many states.

The NHS Autumn Covid booster campaign started on October 1, 2025 with the aim of completing most vaccinations by the end of November 2025. While there’s been reasonably good progress for those aged 75 and older, immunosuppressed individuals still have much lower coverage.

In England, coverage among the immunosuppressed for all age groups remains much lower at just 38%. There are also significant differences in coverage between regions, ethnic groups, and more deprived areas.

Free vaccinations in the Autumn 2025 booster campaign will be available for adults aged 75 and older; residents in care homes for older adults; and immunosuppressed individuals aged 6 months and above until January 31, 2026.

People registered with a GP surgery in England can check their eligibility and book a vaccination appointment through this link.

Book a Covid Booster

Details of booking a free NHS Covid vaccination in Scotland can be found here, for Wales here, and in Northern Ireland here.

As always, it’s important to remember that the risk of hospitalisation from Covid increases significantly with age and for the clinically vulnerable. Therefore, it is important to take appropriate measures such as self-isolating when experiencing Covid symptoms and enhancing ventilation or wearing masks whenever possible.

Status of main respiratory diseases in England.

This section begins with the latest data on test positivity rates for Covid in England. It's important to note that positivity is different from prevalence, which reflects the overall percentage of Covid cases in the general population. Appendix 1 offers a more detailed explanation of the distinction.

The following chart shows the test positivity rate for all Covid tests taken mapped against the UKHSA activity thresholds. The thresholds are based on the historical trend for Covid test positivity and, consequently, represent a relative risk. More details on this approach can be found in the Guide to Covid Surveillance Metrics.

The chart shows that the test positivity rate remained stable this week and continues to stay well below the baseline level, indicating a low risk. Positivity rates remained low in all regions, with only slight differences between them.

The next chart highlights four key indicators of Covid in hospitals: weekly Emergency Department visits for Covid-like symptoms, test positivity rates among patients with respiratory issues, hospital admission rates, and admission rates for intensive care.

All key hospital indicators for Covid activity remained stable this week and overall activity is at historically low levels.

The following chart shows hospital admission rates per 100,000 for the three main respiratory viruses. Covid admissions are historically low, while Flu and RSV admissions appear to have peaked at medium activity levels. However, both are now much higher than Covid, indicating that Flu and RSV currently pose a greater risk. If you’re experiencing Covid-like symptoms, there’s a good chance it is Flu or RSV.

The last chart in this section shows hospital admission rates per 100,000 people by age group for Covid, Flu, and RSV for the week ending January 4, 2026.

The chart clearly shows that the risk of hospitalisation remains highest among the very youngest age group and the elderly for both Flu and RSV. While current hospital admissions for Covid are lower, the elderly remain more likely to be hospitalised.

Finally, the UKHSA released a study this week on how effective this year’s Flu vaccine is at preventing visits to Emergency Departments and hospitalisations. The study concluded that despite the emergence of a drifted influenza A(H3N2) strain driving an unusually early 2025/26 Flu season, early estimates provide reassurance that current vaccines provide protection in children, adolescents and adults in the early period post-vaccination. However, they were less protective in those aged 65 years and older.

With the Flu season underway, it’s a good idea to check your eligibility and book a free vaccination through the following link.

Flu vaccinations in England

Scotland weekly hospital admissions and test positivity

Public Health Scotland (PHS) continue to publish weekly data on Covid hospital admissions and test positivity as well as wastewater monitoring data. The latest Viral respiratory diseases in Scotland surveillance report can be accessed here.

The following panel chart presents the most recent data for weekly Covid test positivity shown in red, Covid levels in wastewater in blue, Covid hospital admissions depicted in orange, and beds occupied by Covid patients in brown.

Covid indicators in Scotland stayed stable and low this week, indicating the risk from the virus remains low.

The final chart in this section compares the test positivity rates for hospital patients with respiratory symptoms for Covid, Flu, and RSV. While Flu positivity rates have started to fall rapidly they remain higher than for Covid.

Despite Flu levels peaking earlier than expected this season, high activity has not been sustained, with decreases seen across all measures. Influenza A(H3N2) continues to dominate.

RSV laboratory confirmed case rates have fallen overall in the past two weeks, though test positivity continued to increase to 10.8%. Through both measures, RSV activity has since decreased in children aged under 5 but continues to rise in adults aged 45 plus. Hospital admissions due to RSV decreased to 242, driven by decreases in those aged under 5. This is typical of RSV seasonality, with peaks observed first in infants before older adults.

With the Flu season well underway in Scotland, now is the time to check if you're eligible for a free Flu vaccination here. If you haven't been contacted yet, you can still book your vaccination using the following link.

Flu vaccinations in Scotland

Wales Covid hospital admissions.

During the winter season, Public Health Wales publishes a weekly respiratory infection report, which is available here. The following chart provides the latest trend for weekly hospital admissions for the main respiratory viruses in Wales up to week ending Jan 4, 2026.

Covid hospital admissions have remained broadly stable for the past few weeks and are at low levels. Flu and RSV admissions show signs of increasing, but remain at moderate levels.

This weeks Weekly Acute Respiratory Infection Report shows that Flu activity remains at a medium level. Although hospital admissions for Flu increased slightly, confirmed case numbers have decreased in the current week, as has test positivity. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is decreasing but remains at very high intensity levels. Covid case numbers have remained broadly stable and low in recent weeks.

Free Flu vaccinations are still available for individuals aged 65 and older, certain young children, pregnant women, and those with specific medical conditions. You can check your eligibility and book a vaccination through the provided link.

Flu vaccinations in Wales

Status of main respiratory diseases in Northern Ireland.

Public Health Northern Ireland publish a weekly surveillance report on influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and Covid providing an overview of these infections within Northern Ireland.

Covid activity activity has remained stable and at low levels across all surveillance indicators. Meanwhile, Flu activity has decreased across the majority of surveillance indicators although rates are highest in young children. RSV activity has decreased across some surveillance indicators and is circulating at moderately low levels.

The following chart shows the test positivity rates in Northern Ireland for the main respiratory illnesses — Flu, RSV, and Covid and RSV. Shading represents 95% confidence intervals.

The chart shows that the Covid test positivity rate for patients with respiratory illnesses, marked in blue, has stayed about the same this week, indicating a low level of Covid activity. Flu test positivity, shown in green, has continued to fall indicating that this wave has peaked.

Information about who qualifies for free flu vaccinations and how to schedule an appointment can be found at the provided link.

Flu vaccinations in Northern Ireland

Covid Levels in Europe and North America.

This section looks at the latest data on Covid activity in Europe and North America. While Covid levels have increased in several countries across these regions, they generally remain lower than those observed during earlier waves.

The following chart shows the latest levels of Covid as measured by monitoring wastewater in a number of European countries that still publish this information. Unfortunately, due to the end of year holidays. data for the last week of 2025 has not been published for Germany, Denmark, and France.

Once again, it’s a mixed picture for European countries reporting Covid levels in wastewater. While Covid levels in wastewater rose in Germany and Sweden, activity varied quite considerably, with Austria and France experiencing relatively low levels.

As of week ending December 27, 2025, Covid activity in the USA is on the rise, though the situation varies across different parts of the country.

The following chart shows the weekly trend for the national key Covid indicators covering test positivity, wastewater activity levels, percent of emergency department visits due to Covid, and the hospital admission rate in the USA.

The panel chart shows that Covid levels in wastewater and emergency department visits have risen to moderate levels, whereas test positivity and hospital admissions remain relatively low.

Wastewater analysis shows that Covid levels are highest in the Northeast and Mid West states, while staying relatively low in the South and West regions, as illustrated in the map below. Each state is coloured based on activity levels, ranging from very high (dark red) to very low (light green), with grey indicating no data available. States with increasing activity levels are marked with cross-hatching.

The interactive map lets you hover over any state to see more details about wastewater viral activity levels. It displays data for states across the country for the week ending Dec 27, 2025.

The next chart shows the percentage of Emergency Department visits caused by Covid and Flu. It indicates that while activity for Covid is moderate, Flu activity has increased significantly and is at a high level.

Flu activity levels differ across states, as shown on the following interactive map, with cases on the rise in 39 states, including 23 experiencing high or very high levels.

Finally, the latest data from Canada, up to December 20, 2025, shows that Covid wastewater levels remain steady at moderate levels, while flu activity is rising fast.

Autumn 2025 Covid Booster campaign.

The NHS Autumn Covid booster campaign started on October 1, 2025. This year’s Autumn vaccination campaign is set to end earlier in England than in previous years, with the majority of vaccinations scheduled to be completed by the end of November. However, outreach efforts to administer vaccines in underserved communities will continue after this date.

The next chart in this section compares the latest Covid vaccination coverage by Home Nation for the two main eligible groups. It shows that coverage is much lower for immunosuppressed individuals compared to those aged 75 and older.

This week, NHS England shared more details about the Autumn 2025 Covid booster campaign, pointing out the uneven coverage across the country as the campaign nears its end. The following chart illustrates the regional difference in coverage for the two main eligible groups.

The chart shows a clear regional difference with London having the lowest coverage for both eligible groups. This is consistent with the pattern seen in previous campaigns.

The final chart in this section shows the inequality in coverage by deprivation level and ethnicity.

Just like in previous campaigns, people in the most deprived areas are far less likely to be vaccinated compared to those in the least deprived areas. Likewise, vaccination rates continue to be much lower among individuals from ethnic minority groups.

In conclusion

Although the amount of data currently being published is reduced, the information available for all home nations show that Covid activity is relatively low. Flu activity had fallen from its recent peak although is still at moderate levels.

Covid activity in Europe is showing a mixed picture with some countries increasing, particularly in Germany. In the USA, Covid activity levels is now moderate with a few states showing high levels. Flu activity in both the USA and Canada has increased significantly over the past few weeks.

As always, if you have any comments on this Covid Situation Report or suggestions for topics to cover, please post a message below.

Appendix 1. Test positivity rates and prevalence

Positivity rates are derived from the results of hospital laboratory tests conducted on patients exhibiting symptoms of respiratory diseases. Test positivity is the percentage of patients who test positive for Covid of the total number of patients tested. Since the individuals tested for this measure are not a representative sample of the general population it differs from prevalence, which is derived from a representative sample of the population.

This report belongs to a weekly series summarising the Covid situation across the UK's home nations and other countries.

Wishing all readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

This is the last report of the year as we head into the holiday break. The next Situation Report will be out on January 8, 2026 when regular service resumes.

This week's report covers the latest weekly indicators of respiratory illness activity for England, along with the most recent data for Scotland, and Wales. The report also presents the data on Covid and Flu levels in the USA.

Summary.

Once again, the main Covid indicators in England, Scotland, and Wales stayed low, indicating a low level of risk.

Flu activity fell across all home nations, indicating this years winter Flu season has peaked. However, Flu is still circulating at medium levels so take care over the holiday period.

In England, the Covid test positivity rate stayed steady this week, well within the baseline activity level. The main hospital indicators also remained unchanged, indicating a low level of risk. Flu activity fell this week, with declines in both hospital admissions and test positivity rates, though levels remain at a medium activity level.

In Scotland, all indicators of Covid activity remained at low levels of activity this week. Positivity rates and hospital admissions for Flu have continued to fall but remain at medium levels of activity.

In the past week, Covid hospital admissions in Wales fell slightly and remain at low levels of activity. Hospital admissions for Flu also fell but remain at medium activity levels.

All indicators show that Covid activity in the USA is low although some states are seeing increased activity. Flu indicators continue to increase and are at moderate levels.

As always, it’s important to remember that the risk of hospitalisation from Covid increases significantly with age and for the clinically vulnerable. Therefore, it is important to take appropriate measures such as self-isolating when experiencing Covid symptoms and enhancing ventilation or wearing masks whenever possible. Taking these precautions also reduces the risk of passing on Flu or RSV.

Status of main respiratory diseases in England.

This section begins with the latest data on test positivity rates for Covid in England. It's important to note that positivity is different from prevalence, which reflects the overall percentage of Covid cases in the general population. Appendix 1 offers a more detailed explanation of the distinction.

The following chart shows the test positivity rate for all Covid tests taken mapped against the UKHSA activity thresholds. The thresholds are based on the historical trend for Covid test positivity and, consequently, represent a relative risk. More details on this approach can be found in the Guide to Covid Surveillance Metrics.

The chart shows that the test positivity rate has dropped to its lowest point in three years and is now well below the baseline level of activity, indicating a low risk level. Positivity rates fell across all regions, showing only small differences between them.

The next chart highlights four key indicators of Covid in hospitals: weekly Emergency Department visits for Covid-like symptoms, test positivity rates among patients with respiratory issues, hospital admission rates, and admission rates for intensive care.

All key hospital indicators for Covid activity remained stable this week and overall activity is at historically low levels.

The final chart shows hospital admission rates per 100,000 for the three main respiratory viruses. Covid admissions are historically low, while Flu admissions are falling but remains at medium activity levels. RSV admissions have started to rise again but remain at moderate levels. However, both are now much higher than Covid, indicating that Flu and RSV currently pose a greater risk. If you’re experiencing Covid-like symptoms, there’s a good chance it is Flu or RSV.

With the Flu season continuing, it’s a good idea to check your eligibility and book a free vaccination through the following link.

Flu vaccinations in England

Scotland weekly hospital admissions and test positivity

Public Health Scotland (PHS) continue to publish weekly data on Covid hospital admissions and test positivity as well as wastewater monitoring data. The latest Viral respiratory diseases in Scotland surveillance report can be accessed here.

The following panel chart presents the most recent data for weekly Covid test positivity shown in red, Covid levels in wastewater in blue, Covid hospital admissions depicted in orange, and beds occupied by Covid patients in brown.

Covid indicators in Scotland stayed stable and low this week, indicating the risk from the virus remains low.

The final chart in this section compares the test positivity rates for hospital patients with respiratory symptoms for Covid, Flu, and RSV. While Flu positivity rates have started to fall they remain moderately high and much higher than for Covid.

Flu activity in Scotland has dropped again across most measures, holding at a medium level overall based on lab-confirmed cases. Reported cases fell by 35% to 1,297 from 1,994, though activity stayed high in the 1-4 and 5-14 age groups. This week saw 678 Flu-related hospital admissions, down from 950 last week. There’s no sign of more severe illness based on deaths or excess mortality, though reporting delays remain.

With the Flu season still underway in Scotland, now is the time to check if you're eligible for a free Flu vaccination here. If you haven't been contacted yet, you can book your vaccination using the following link.

Flu vaccinations in Scotland

Wales Covid hospital admissions.

During the winter season, Public Health Wales publishes a weekly respiratory infection report, which is available here. The following chart provides the latest trend for weekly hospital admissions for the main respiratory viruses in Wales up to week ending Dec 21, 2025.

Covid hospital admissions have remained broadly stable for the past few weeks and are at low levels. Flu and RSV admissions fell slightly, but remain at moderate levels.

This weeks Weekly Acute Respiratory Infection Report shows that while flu admissions have fallen slightly, it is still circulating at medium intensity. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is currently circulating in the community, with confirmed cases in children under 5 years old at high levels, although the incidence decreased in the most recent week.

Free Flu vaccinations are available for individuals aged 65 and older, certain young children, pregnant women, and those with specific medical conditions. With the Flu season continuing, it’s a good idea to check your eligibility and book a vaccination through the provided link.

Flu vaccinations in Wales

Covid Levels in USA.

This section reviews the latest data on Covid levels in the USA, showing that levels mostly remain low across the country. However, some states are starting to see signs of increasing activity.

The following chart shows the weekly trend up to December 13 for key national Covid indicators, including test positivity, wastewater activity levels, the percentage of emergency department visits related to Covid, and the hospital admission rate.

Whilst there has been a slight increase across all indicators, Covid activity remains relatively low nationally.

The next chart shows the regional wastewater activity trends for Covid, highlighting that levels are climbing the fastest in the Northeast and Mid West regions.

Wastewater analysis reveals that although Covid levels remain low or very low in most US states, many are starting to see increases, as shown in the map below. Each state is coloured based on activity levels, ranging from very high (dark red) to very low (light green), with grey indicating no data available. States with increasing activity levels are marked with cross-hatching.

The interactive map lets you hover over any state to see more details about wastewater viral activity levels. It displays data for states across the country for the week ending Dec 13, 2025.

The interactive map shows wastewater activity levels increased in 24 states last week, down from 40 the week before, while 34 states remained at low or very low activity levels, down from 38 the previous week.

The final chart for the USA shows the percentage of Emergency Department visits caused by the main respiratory illnesses—Covid and Flu. It indicates that activity levels for these viruses are currently low, though Flu cases are continuing to increase.

In conclusion

Although the amount of data currently being published is reduced, the information available for all home nations show that Covid activity is relatively low. The recent rise in Flu activity has peaked but is still at medium levels of activity.

In the USA, Covid activity levels remain low although some states are seeing increased activity. Flu activity have increased indicating that the Winter Flu season has started

As always, if you have any comments on this Covid Situation Report or suggestions for topics to cover, please post a message below.

Appendix 1. Test positivity rates and prevalence

Positivity rates are derived from the results of hospital laboratory tests conducted on patients exhibiting symptoms of respiratory diseases. Test positivity is the percentage of patients who test positive for Covid of the total number of patients tested. Since the individuals tested for this measure are not a representative sample of the general population it differs from prevalence, which is derived from a representative sample of the population.

This report belongs to a weekly series summarising the Covid situation across the UK's home nations and other countries.

This is the last full report of the year, as there will be limited data over the Christmas period; however, I plan to publish a shortened report on Wednesday, December 24, covering the available information.

This week's report covers the latest weekly indicators of respiratory illness activity for England, along with the most recent data for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The report also presents the data on Covid levels in selected countries in Europe and North America. Finally, there is an update latest status on the Autumn 2025 Covid Booster campaign.

Summary.

Once again, the main Covid indicators in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland stayed low, indicating a low level of risk.

Flu and RSV activity remained broadly stable but at medium levels for all home nations, indicating this years winter Flu season may have peaked.

Public Heath Scotland report that early seasonal Flu vaccine effectiveness data shows the vaccine is providing good protection against the currently circulating variant. The data shows a 78% reduced risk of hospitalisation in ages 2–17 and 37% in those 65 and over. Similar results were observed in pooled estimates from Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, and with early estimates from England.

In England, the Covid test positivity rate stayed steady this week, well within the baseline activity level. The main hospital indicators also remained unchanged, indicating a low level of risk. Flu activity has stopped increasing, with both hospital admissions stable and test positivity rates starting to fall. Hospital admissions remain highest among people over 85 years old with Flu and children under 5 years with RSV.

In Scotland, all indicators of Covid activity remained at low levels of activity this week. Positivity rates and hospital admissions for Flu have started to fall and are now at medium levels of activity.

In the past week, Covid hospital admissions in Wales fell slightly and remain at low levels of activity. Hospital admissions for Flu also fell but remain at medium activity levels.

In Northern Ireland, Covid activity remained stable across all surveillance indicators in the past week and are at low levels. Flu and RSV activity levels have stabilised and are likely to have peaked.

This week is again a mixed picture for European countries reporting Covid levels in wastewater. Levels increased across all countries, though activity levels varied considerable between countries.

CDC data have resumed publishing data this week and all indicators show that Covid activity in the USA is low although some states are seeing increased activity. Flu indicators are increasing albeit from low levels.

The NHS Autumn Covid booster campaign started on October 1, 2025 with the aim of completing most vaccinations by the end of November 2025. While there’s been reasonably good progress for those aged 75 and older, immunosuppressed individuals still have much lower coverage.

Free vaccinations in the Autumn 2025 booster campaign will be available for adults aged 75 and older by January 31, 2026; residents in care homes for older adults; and immunosuppressed individuals aged 6 months and above.

People registered with a GP surgery in England can check their eligibility and book a vaccination appointment through this link.

Book a Covid Booster

Details of booking a free NHS Covid vaccination in Scotland can be found here, for Wales here, and in Northern Ireland here.

As always, it’s important to remember that the risk of hospitalisation from Covid increases significantly with age and for the clinically vulnerable. Therefore, it is important to take appropriate measures such as self-isolating when experiencing Covid symptoms and enhancing ventilation or wearing masks whenever possible.

Status of main respiratory diseases in England.

This section begins with the latest data on test positivity rates for Covid in England. It's important to note that positivity is different from prevalence, which reflects the overall percentage of Covid cases in the general population. Appendix 1 offers a more detailed explanation of the distinction.

The following chart shows the test positivity rate for all Covid tests taken mapped against the UKHSA activity thresholds. The thresholds are based on the historical trend for Covid test positivity and, consequently, represent a relative risk. More details on this approach can be found in the Guide to Covid Surveillance Metrics.

The chart indicates that the test positivity rate was again stable this week and is well below the baseline level of activity, indicating a low level of risk. Positivity rates decreased across all regions, showing only small differences between them.

The next chart highlights four key indicators of Covid in hospitals: weekly Emergency Department visits for Covid-like symptoms, test positivity rates among patients with respiratory issues, hospital admission rates, and admission rates for intensive care.

All key hospital indicators for Covid activity remained stable this week and overall activity is at historically low levels.

The final chart shows hospital admission rates per 100,000 for the three main respiratory viruses. Covid admissions are historically low, while Flu and RSV admissions appear to have peaked at medium activity levels. However, both are now much higher than Covid, indicating that Flu and RSV currently pose a greater risk. If you’re experiencing Covid-like symptoms, there’s a good chance it is Flu or RSV.

The last chart in this section shows hospital admission rates per 100,000 people by age group for Covid, Flu, and RSV for the week ending December 14, 2025.

The chart clearly shows that the risk of hospitalisation remains highest among the very youngest age group and the elderly for both Flu and RSV. While current hospital admissions for Covid are lower, the elderly remain more likely to be hospitalised.

With the Flu season underway, it’s a good idea to check your eligibility and book a free vaccination through the following link.

Flu vaccinations in England

Scotland weekly hospital admissions and test positivity

Public Health Scotland (PHS) continue to publish weekly data on Covid hospital admissions and test positivity as well as wastewater monitoring data. The latest Viral respiratory diseases in Scotland surveillance report can be accessed here.

The following panel chart presents the most recent data for weekly Covid test positivity shown in red, Covid levels in wastewater in blue, Covid hospital admissions depicted in orange, and beds occupied by Covid patients in brown.

Covid indicators in Scotland stayed stable and low this week, indicating the risk from the virus remains low.

The final chart in this section compares the test positivity rates for hospital patients with respiratory symptoms for Covid, Flu, and RSV. While Flu positivity rates have started to fall they remain much higher than for Covid.

Flu activity in Scotland has steadied or decreased across most measure, returning to medium activity overall based on reporting of laboratory-confirmed cases. Cases decreased by 20% to 1918 from 2410, and activity level dropped to high (from very high) in the 1-4 and 5-14 age groups. There were 912 hospital admissions due to Flu this week, down from 1039 in the previous week. There are no indications of more severe disease as measured by deaths or excess mortality, although there are reporting lags. Influenza A(H3N2) continues to dominate.

With the Flu season well underway in Scotland, now is the time to check if you're eligible for a free Flu vaccination here. If you haven't been contacted yet, you can book your vaccination using the following link.

Flu vaccinations in Scotland

Wales Covid hospital admissions.

During the winter season, Public Health Wales publishes a weekly respiratory infection report, which is available here. The following chart provides the latest trend for weekly hospital admissions for the main respiratory viruses in Wales up to week ending Dec 14, 2025.

Covid hospital admissions have remained broadly stable for the past few weeks and are at low levels. Flu and RSV admissions fell slightly, but remain at moderate levels.

This weeks Weekly Acute Respiratory Infection Report shows that while flu admissions have fallen slightly, it is still circulating at medium intensity, with increases in test positivity and confirmed cases. Presentations of acute respiratory infections to GPs increased in most age groups. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is currently circulating, with confirmed cases in children under 5 years old at very high levels, although the incidence decreased in the most recent week.

Free Flu vaccinations are available for individuals aged 65 and older, certain young children, pregnant women, and those with specific medical conditions. With the Flu season in full swing, it’s a good idea to check your eligibility and book a vaccination through the provided link.

Flu vaccinations in Wales

Status of main respiratory diseases in Northern Ireland.

Public Health Northern Ireland publish a weekly surveillance report on influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and Covid providing an overview of these infections within Northern Ireland.

Covid activity activity has remained stable and at low levels across all surveillance indicators. Meanwhile, Flu activity has decreased across the majority of surveillance indicators although rates are highest in young children. RSV activity has decreased across some surveillance indicators and is circulating at moderately low levels.

The following chart shows the test positivity rates in Northern Ireland for the main respiratory illnesses — Flu, RSV, and Covid and RSV. Shading represents 95% confidence intervals.

The chart shows that the Covid test positivity rate for patients with respiratory illnesses, marked in blue, has stayed about the same this week at 1.8%, compared to 1.7% last week, indicating a low level of Covid activity.

Flu test positivity, shown in green, has stopped suggesting that this wave has peaked. This week, Flu positivity reached 29.3%, down from 33.4% in the prior week. The highest rate remains in the 5–14 age group, with 48.4% testing positive.

Information about who qualifies for free flu vaccinations and how to schedule an appointment can be found at the provided link.

Flu vaccinations in Northern Ireland

Covid Levels in Europe and North America.

This section looks at the latest data on Covid activity in Europe and North America. While Covid levels have increased in several countries across these regions, they generally remain lower than those observed during earlier waves.

The following chart shows the latest levels of Covid as measured by monitoring wastewater in a number of European countries that still publish this information.

Once again, it’s a mixed picture for European countries reporting Covid levels in wastewater. While Covid levels in wastewater rose across all countries, activity varied quite considerably, with Denmark seeing moderately high levels and France experiencing relatively low levels. The situation in Austria is presently uncertain due to recent changes in their reporting methods is making the data difficult to interpret.

The CDC has resumed publishing U.S. health metrics after the government shutdown, and the latest data shows Covid activity remains low nationwide. However, some areas are showing signs of increasing activity.

The following chart presents the weekly trend for the national key Covid indicators covering test positivity, wastewater activity levels, percent of emergency department visits due to Covid, and the hospital admission rate. Whilst there has been a slight increase across all indicators, Covid activity remains relatively low nationally.

This chart shows the regional wastewater activity trends for Covid, highlighting that levels are climbing the fastest in the Northeast.

Wastewater analysis reveals that although Covid levels remain low or very low in most US states, many are starting to see increases, as shown in the map below. Each state is coloured based on activity levels, ranging from very high (dark red) to very low (light green), with grey indicating no data available. States with increasing activity levels are marked with cross-hatching.

The interactive map lets you hover over any state to see more details about wastewater viral activity levels. It displays data for states across the country for the week ending Dec c, 2025.

The interactive map shows wastewater activity levels increased in 40 states last week, up from 21 the week before, while 33 states remained at low or very low activity levels, down from 44 the previous week.

The final chart for the USA shows the percentage of Emergency Department visits caused by the main respiratory illnesses—Covid and Flu. It indicates that activity levels for these viruses are currently low, though Flu cases are continuing to increase.

Finally, the latest data from Canada shows that Covid wastewater levels are steady at moderate levels, while flu levels are rising fast.

Autumn 2025 Covid Booster campaign.

The NHS Autumn Covid booster campaign started on October 1, 2025. This year’s Autumn vaccination campaign is set to end earlier in England than in previous years, with the majority of vaccinations scheduled to be completed by the end of November. However, outreach efforts to administer vaccines in underserved communities will continue after this date.

The following chart shows the number of Covid vaccinations given by week for each of the booster campaigns in England.

In the week ending December 14, there were 48,117 booster doses administered, down from 62,492 the previous week, bringing the total to 4.61 million doses as the campaign comes to a close.

The next chart in this section compares the latest Covid vaccination coverage by Home Nation for the two main eligible groups. It shows that coverage is much lower for immunosuppressed individuals compared to those aged 75 and older.

In conclusion

Although the amount of data currently being published is reduced, the information available for all home nations show that Covid activity is relatively low. The recent rise in Flu activity appears to have peaked at moderate levels.

Covid activity in Europe is showing some early signs of increasing, particularly in Germany. In the USA, activity levels remain low although some states are seeing increased activity.

As always, if you have any comments on this Covid Situation Report or suggestions for topics to cover, please post a message below.

Appendix 1. Test positivity rates and prevalence

Positivity rates are derived from the results of hospital laboratory tests conducted on patients exhibiting symptoms of respiratory diseases. Test positivity is the percentage of patients who test positive for Covid of the total number of patients tested. Since the individuals tested for this measure are not a representative sample of the general population it differs from prevalence, which is derived from a representative sample of the population.

This report belongs to a weekly series summarising the Covid situation across the UK's home nations and other countries.

This week's report covers the latest weekly indicators of respiratory illness activity for England, along with the most recent data for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The report also presents the data on Covid levels in selected countries in Europe and North America. Finally, there is an update latest status on the Autumn 2025 Covid Booster campaign including data on inequalities in coverage in England.

Summary.

Once again, the main Covid indicators in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland stayed low this week, indicating a low level of risk, though there are some early signs of increased activity in Wales and Northern Ireland.

Flu and RSV activity continues to increase significantly across all home nations, indicating this years winter Flu season is well underway. If you haven’t had your Flu vaccination yet, there’s still time to do so.

Public Heath Scotland report that early seasonal Flu vaccine effectiveness data shows the vaccine is providing good protection against the currently circulating variant. The data shows a 78% reduced risk of hospitalisation in ages 2–17 and 37% in those 65 and over. Similar results were observed in pooled estimates from Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, and with early estimates from England.

In England, the Covid test positivity rate stayed steady this week, well within the baseline activity level. The main hospital indicators also remained mostly unchanged, suggesting a low level of risk. However, flu activity is on the rise, with both hospital admissions and test positivity rates climbing quickly. Hospital admissions are highest among people over 85 years old with Flu and children under 5 years with RSV.

In Scotland, all indicators of Covid activity remained at low levels of activity this week. Positivity rates and hospital admissions for Flu continued to rise and are now at high levels of activity.

In the past week, Covid hospital admissions in Wales increased slightly while remaining at low levels of activity. Hospital admissions for Flu increased and are approaching medium activity levels.

In Northern Ireland, Covid activity increased slightly across some surveillance indicators in the past week but are still at low levels. However, Flu and RSV activity levels are rising fast.

This week is again a mixed picture for European countries reporting Covid levels in wastewater. Activity is clearly on the rise in Germany, with some indications of increases in other countries as well, though starting from relatively low levels.

CDC data have resumed publishing data this week and all indicators show that Covid activity in the USA is low. Flu indicators are also low although there are signs of increasing activity.

The NHS Autumn Covid booster campaign started on October 1, 2025 with the aim of completing most vaccinations by the end of November 2025. Scotland is doing well so far, with 66% of people aged 75 and over already vaccinated, though coverage among the immunosuppressed remains much lower at 40%.

Free vaccinations in the Autumn 2025 booster campaign will be available for adults aged 75 and older by January 31, 2026; residents in care homes for older adults; and immunosuppressed individuals aged 6 months and above.

People registered with a GP surgery in England can check their eligibility and book a vaccination appointment through this link.

Book a Covid Booster

Details of booking a free NHS Covid vaccination in Scotland can be found here, for Wales here, and in Northern Ireland here.

As always, it’s important to remember that the risk of hospitalisation from Covid increases significantly with age and for the clinically vulnerable. Therefore, it is important to take appropriate measures such as self-isolating when experiencing Covid symptoms and enhancing ventilation or wearing masks whenever possible.

Status of main respiratory diseases in England.

This section begins with the latest data on test positivity rates for Covid in England. It's important to note that positivity is different from prevalence, which reflects the overall percentage of Covid cases in the general population. Appendix 1 offers a more detailed explanation of the distinction.

The following chart shows the test positivity rate for all Covid tests taken mapped against the UKHSA activity thresholds. The thresholds are based on the historical trend for Covid test positivity and, consequently, represent a relative risk. More details on this approach can be found in the Guide to Covid Surveillance Metrics.

The chart indicates that the test positivity rate was again stable this week and is well below the baseline level of activity, indicating a low level of risk. Positivity rates decreased across all regions, showing only small differences between them.

The next chart highlights four key indicators of Covid in hospitals: weekly Emergency Department visits for Covid-like symptoms, test positivity rates among patients with respiratory issues, hospital admission rates, and admission rates for intensive care.

All key hospital indicators for Covid activity remained stable this week and overall activity is at historically low levels.

The final chart shows hospital admission rates per 100,000 for the three main respiratory viruses. Covid admissions are historically low, while Flu and RSV admissions have risen significantly. Both are now much higher than Covid, indicating that Flu and RSV currently pose a greater risk. If you’re experiencing Covid-like symptoms, there’s a good chance it is Flu or RSV.

The last chart in this section shows hospital admission rates per 100,000 people by age group for Covid, Flu, and RSV for the week ending December 7, 2025.

The chart clearly shows that the risk of hospitalisation is highest among the very youngest age group and the elderly for both Flu and RSV. While current hospital admissions for Covid are lower, the elderly remain more likely to be hospitalised.

With the Flu season underway, it’s a good idea to check your eligibility and book a free vaccination through the following link.

Flu vaccinations in England

Scotland weekly hospital admissions and test positivity

Public Health Scotland (PHS) continue to publish weekly data on Covid hospital admissions and test positivity as well as wastewater monitoring data. The latest Viral respiratory diseases in Scotland surveillance report can be accessed here.

The following panel chart presents the most recent data for weekly Covid test positivity shown in red, Covid levels in wastewater in blue, Covid hospital admissions depicted in orange, and beds occupied by Covid patients in brown.

Covid indicators in Scotland stayed stable and low this week, indicating the risk from the virus remains low.

The final chart in this section compares the test positivity rates for hospital patients with respiratory symptoms for Covid, Flu, and RSV.

While the Covid test positivity is low, Flu positivity rates continue to increase significantly and are much higher than for Covid. The current Flu positivity rate is also much higher than it was at the same time last year, showing that the winter Flu season has arrived earlier than usual and is in full swing.

Flu activity in Scotland rose at a more moderate pace this week, but has already hit the high activity threshold earlier than in past seasons. Cases went up 24% to 2,331 from 1,875, and hospital admissions climbed 15% to 986 from 860. However, both figures are increasing more slowly than last week. Fortunately, there’s no indication so far that this year’s flu is a more severe illness, based on intensive care admissions.

With the Flu season well underway in Scotland, now is the time to check if you're eligible for a free Flu vaccination here. If you haven't been contacted yet, you can book your vaccination using the following link.

Flu vaccinations in Scotland

Wales Covid hospital admissions.

During the winter season, Public Health Wales publishes a weekly respiratory infection report, which is available here. The following chart provides the latest trend for weekly hospital admissions for the main respiratory viruses in Wales up to week ending Dec 7, 2025.

Covid hospital admissions remained stable this week and are at low levels. However Flu and RSV activity levels are rising fast.

This weeks Weekly Acute Respiratory Infection Report confirms that Flu is approaching medium intensity levels, with increases in test positivity and confirmed cases. Cases of acute respiratory infections seen by GPs have also gone up across most age groups. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is currently spreading, with confirmed cases in children under 5 years old at very high levels.

Free Flu vaccinations are available for individuals aged 65 and older, certain young children, pregnant women, and those with specific medical conditions. With the Flu season in full swing, it’s a good idea to check your eligibility and book a vaccination through the provided link.

Flu vaccinations in Wales

Status of main respiratory diseases in Northern Ireland.

Public Health Northern Ireland publish a weekly surveillance report on influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and Covid providing an overview of these infections within Northern Ireland.

Covid activity continues to remain low across most surveillance indicators but there are some signs of increasing activity. Meanwhile, Flu activity continues to rise across surveillance indicators, especially among children, and this increase is happening earlier than in previous influenza seasons. RSV activity increased across all surveillance indicators, particularly among younger children, but is still circulating at moderately low levels.

The following chart shows the test positivity rates in Northern Ireland for the main respiratory illnesses — Flu, RSV, and Covid and RSV. Shading represents 95% confidence intervals.

The chart shows that the Covid test positivity rate for patients with respiratory illnesses, marked in blue, has stayed about the same this week at 1.7%, compared to 1.6% last week, suggesting a low level of Covid activity.

Flu test positivity, shown in green, keeps climbing which signals the Flu season is well underway. This week, Flu positivity reached 33.4%, up from 30.2% in the prior week. The highest rate was in the 5–14 age group, with 57% testing positive.

Information about who qualifies for free flu vaccinations and how to schedule an appointment can be found at the provided link.

Flu vaccinations in Northern Ireland

Covid Levels in Europe and North America.

This section looks at the latest data on Covid activity in Europe and North America. While Covid levels have increased in several countries across these regions, they generally remain lower than those observed during earlier waves.

The following chart shows the latest levels of Covid as measured by monitoring wastewater in a number of European countries that still publish this information.

Once again, it’s a mixed picture for European countries reporting Covid levels in wastewater. Activity is clearly on the rise in Germany, with some early indications of increases in the Netherlands, Denmark, and France. The situation in Austria is presently uncertain due to recent changes in their reporting methods and there was no update for Sweden this week.

The CDC has now updated U.S. health metrics after the government shutdown confirming that Covid activity has fallen and is at a low level.

The following chart presents the weekly trend for the national key Covid indicators covering test positivity, wastewater activity levels, percent of emergency department visits due to Covid, and the hospital admission rate, up to November 29, 2025. It shows low levels of Covid activity continue at the national level.

Wastewater analysis also shows that Covid levels are low or very low across most US States, as illustrated in the following map. Each state is coloured based on activity levels, ranging from very high (dark red) to very low (light green), with grey indicating no data available. States with increasing activity levels are marked with cross-hatching.

The interactive map lets you hover over any state to see more details about wastewater viral activity levels. It displays data for states across the country for the week ending November 29, 2025.

The interactive map shows wastewater activity levels increased in 19 states last week, down from 23 the week before, while 44 states remained at low or very low activity levels, unchanged from the previous week. Note that some states have limited coverage this week, such as Arizona, so it’s a good idea to check a state’s coverage by hovering your cursor over a state on the map.

The final chart for the USA shows the percentage of Emergency Department visits caused by the main respiratory illnesses—Covid and Flu. It indicates that activity levels for these viruses are currently low, though Flu cases are starting to increase.

Finally, the latest data from Canada shows that Covid wastewater levels are steady at moderate levels, while flu levels are starting to rise albeit from low levels.

Autumn 2025 Covid Booster campaign.

The NHS Autumn Covid booster campaign started on October 1, 2025. This year’s Autumn vaccination campaign is set to end earlier in England than in previous years, with the majority of vaccinations scheduled to be completed by the end of November. However, outreach efforts to administer vaccines in underserved communities will continue after this date.

The following chart shows the number of Covid vaccinations given by week for each of the booster campaigns in England.

In the week ending December 7, there were 61,178 booster doses were administered, down from 88,129 the previous week, bringing the total to 4.56 million doses as the campaign comes to a close.

The next chart in this section provides the latest Covid vaccination coverage by Home Nation for the two main eligible groups. The chart indicates that while England and Scotland are making solid progress, Wales and Northern Ireland are progressing more slowly.

In conclusion

Although the amount of data currently being published is reduced, the information available for all home nations show that Covid activity is relatively low. However Flu activity continues to rise in all home nations indicating an early start to the Winter Flu season.

Covid activity in Europe is showing some early signs of increasing, particularly in Germany. In the USA, activity levels remain low.

As always, if you have any comments on this Covid Situation Report or suggestions for topics to cover, please post a message below.

Appendix 1. Test positivity rates and prevalence

Positivity rates are derived from the results of hospital laboratory tests conducted on patients exhibiting symptoms of respiratory diseases. Test positivity is the percentage of patients who test positive for Covid of the total number of patients tested. Since the individuals tested for this measure are not a representative sample of the general population it differs from prevalence, which is derived from a representative sample of the population.

This report belongs to a weekly series summarising the Covid situation across the UK's home nations and other countries.

This week's report covers the latest weekly indicators of respiratory illness activity for England, along with the most recent data for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The report also presents the data on Covid levels in selected countries in Europe and North America. Finally, there is an update latest status on the Autumn 2025 Covid Booster campaign including data on inequalities in coverage in England.

Summary.

Once again, the main Covid indicators in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland remained low this week indicating a low level of risk.

Flu and RSV activity continues to increase significantly across all home nations, signalling an early start to this years winter Flu season. If you haven’t had your Flu vaccination yet, now is a great time to get it.

In England, the Covid test positivity rate remained stable this week and well within the baseline activity level. All of the main hospital indicators also were broadly unchanged this week indicating a low level of risk. Flu indicators showed increasing levels of activity, with hospital admission and test positivity rates increasing fast.

In Scotland, all indicators of Covid activity fell this week and remain at low levels of activity. Positivity rates and hospital admissions for Flu continued to rise significantly.

In the past week, Covid hospital admissions in Wales remained stable at low levels of activity. Hospital admissions for Flu increased and are at medium activity levels.

In Northern Ireland, Covid activity increased slightly across all surveillance indicators in the past week but are still at low levels. However, Flu and RSV activity levels are rising fast.

Covid levels in wastewater samples across European countries sharing this data show a mixed picture. While most countries have dropped to low levels or remain steady at moderate activity, levels in Germany have continued to increase.

CDC data have resumed publishing data this week and all indicators show that Covid activity in the USA is low. Flu indicators are also low although there are early signs of increasing activity.

The NHS Autumn Covid booster campaign started on October 1, 2025 with the aim of completing most vaccinations by the end of November 2025. England is doing well so far, with 61% of people aged 75 and over already vaccinated, though coverage among the immunosuppressed remains much lower at just 28%. There are also significant differences in coverage between regions, ethnic groups, and more deprived areas.

Free vaccinations in the Autumn 2025 booster campaign will be available for adults aged 75 and older by January 31, 2026; residents in care homes for older adults; and immunosuppressed individuals aged 6 months and above.

People registered with a GP surgery in England can check their eligibility and book a vaccination appointment through this link.

Book a Covid Booster

Details of booking a free NHS Covid vaccination in Scotland can be found here, for Wales here, and in Northern Ireland here.

As always, it’s important to remember that the risk of hospitalisation from Covid increases significantly with age and for the clinically vulnerable. Therefore, it is important to take appropriate measures such as self-isolating when experiencing Covid symptoms and enhancing ventilation or wearing masks whenever possible.

Status of main respiratory diseases in England.

This section begins with the latest data on test positivity rates for Covid in England. It's important to note that positivity is different from prevalence, which reflects the overall percentage of Covid cases in the general population. Appendix 1 offers a more detailed explanation of the distinction.

The following chart shows the test positivity rate for all Covid tests taken mapped against the UKHSA activity thresholds. The thresholds are based on the historical trend for Covid test positivity and, consequently, represent a relative risk. More details on this approach can be found in the Guide to Covid Surveillance Metrics.

The chart indicates that the test positivity rate remained stable this week and is well below the baseline level of activity, indicating a low level of risk. Positivity rates decreased across all regions, showing only small differences between them.

The next chart highlights four key indicators of Covid in hospitals: weekly Emergency Department visits for Covid-like symptoms, test positivity rates among patients with respiratory issues, hospital admission rates, and admission rates for intensive care.

All key hospital indicators for Covid activity remained stable this week and overall activity is at historically low levels.

The final chart shows hospital admission rates per 100,000 for the three main respiratory viruses. Covid admissions are historically low, while Flu and RSV admissions have risen significantly. Both are now much higher than Covid, indicating that Flu and RSV currently pose a greater risk. If you’re experiencing Covid-like symptoms, there’s a good chance it is Flu or RSV.

With the Flu season underway, it’s a good idea to check your eligibility and book a free vaccination through the following link.

Flu vaccinations in England

Scotland weekly hospital admissions and test positivity

Public Health Scotland (PHS) continue to publish weekly data on Covid hospital admissions and test positivity as well as wastewater monitoring data. The latest Viral respiratory diseases in Scotland surveillance report can be accessed here.

The following panel chart presents the most recent data for weekly Covid test positivity shown in red, Covid levels in wastewater in blue, Covid hospital admissions depicted in orange, and beds occupied by Covid patients in brown.

The main indicators of Covid in Scotland continued to fall this week indicating a decrease in Covid activity which are now at low levels.

The final chart in this section compares the test positivity rates for hospital patients with respiratory symptoms for Covid, Flu, and RSV.

While the Covid test positivity is low, Flu positivity rates are climbing very fast and are now much higher than for Covid. The current Flu positivity rate is also much higher than it was at the same time last year, showing that the winter Flu season has arrived earlier than usual and is already in full swing.

This is supported by laboratory-confirmed cases for Flu more than doubling, rising from 845 to 1,759, and hospital admissions increasing by 70%, from 426 to 724. Although the highest case rates were observed in younger age groups, approximately 40% of hospital admissions were people aged 65 years and over, broadly consistent with previous seasons.

With the Flu season well underway in Scotland, now is the time to check if you're eligible for a free Flu vaccination here. If you haven't been contacted yet, you can book your vaccination using the following link.

Flu vaccinations in Scotland

Wales Covid hospital admissions.

During the winter season, Public Health Wales publishes a weekly respiratory infection report, which is available here. The following chart provides the latest trend for weekly hospital admissions for the main respiratory viruses in Wales up to week ending Nov 30, 2025.

Covid hospital admissions remained stable this week and are at low levels. However Flu and RSV activity levels are rising fast.

This weeks Weekly Acute Respiratory Infection Report confirms that Flu is circulating widely and activity increased last week, with substantial increases in test positivity, confirmed cases (in the community and in hospitals) and in admissions to hospital. Presentations of acute respiratory infections in children and adolescents to GPs also increased sharply last week. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is circulating, with incidence of confirmed cases in under 5 year olds currently at very high levels.

Free Flu vaccinations are available for individuals aged 65 and older, certain young children, pregnant women, and those with specific medical conditions. With the Flu season in full swing, it’s a good idea to check your eligibility and book a vaccination through the provided link.

Flu vaccinations in Wales

Status of main respiratory diseases in Northern Ireland.

Public Health Northern Ireland publish a weekly surveillance report on influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and Covid providing an overview of these infections within Northern Ireland.

Covid activity continues to remain low across most surveillance indicators but there are some signs of increasing activity. Meanwhile, Flu activity continues to rise across surveillance indicators, especially among children, and this increase is happening earlier than in previous influenza seasons. RSV activity increased across all surveillance indicators, particularly among younger children, but is still circulating at moderately low levels.

The following chart shows the test positivity rates in Northern Ireland for the main respiratory illnesses — Flu, RSV, and Covid and RSV. Shading represents 95% confidence intervals.

The chart shows that the Covid test positivity rate for those patients with respiratory illnesses, marked in blue, has increased slightly this week to 1.6% from 1.2% last week, indicating a low level of Covid activity.

Flu test positivity, shown in green, keeps climbing which signals an early start to the Flu season. This week, Flu positivity reached 30.2%, up from 20.8% in the prior week. The highest rate was in the 5–14 age group, with 54.2% testing positive.

Information about who qualifies for free flu vaccinations and how to schedule an appointment can be found at the provided link.

Flu vaccinations in Northern Ireland

Covid Levels in Europe and North America.

This section looks at the latest data on Covid activity in Europe and North America. While Covid levels have increased in several countries across these regions, they generally remain lower than those observed during earlier waves.

The following chart shows the latest levels of Covid as measured by monitoring wastewater in a number of European countries that still publish this information.

This week continues to present a mixed picture for European countries that still publish Covid levels found in wastewater. In Germany, levels have stopped declining and are now rising, suggesting the recent wave of Covid activity isn’t over yet. In the Netherlands, France, Denmark and Sweden they’ve remained steady, whilst the situation in Austria is uncertain due to recent changes in their reporting methods.

The CDC has now updated U.S. health metrics after the government shutdown confirming that Covid activity has fallen and is at a low level.

The following chart presents the weekly trend for the national key Covid indicators covering test positivity, wastewater activity levels, percent of emergency department visits due to Covid, and the hospital admission rate, up to November 22, 2025. It shows low levels of Covid activity at the national level.

Wastewater analysis also shows that Covid levels are low or very low across most US States, as illustrated in the following map. Each state is coloured based on activity levels, ranging from very high (dark red) to very low (light green), with grey indicating no data available. States with increasing activity levels are marked with cross-hatching.

The interactive map lets you hover over any state to see more details about wastewater viral activity levels. It displays data for states across the country for the week ending November 22, 2025.

The interactive map shows that wastewater activity levels rose in 23 states last week, with 45 states at low or very low activity levels.

The following chart for the USA shows the percentage of Emergency Department visits caused by the main respiratory illnesses—Covid, Flu, and RSV. It indicates that activity levels for all three viruses are currently low, though Flu cases are starting to increase.

Finally, the latest data from Canada shows that Covid wastewater levels are steady at moderate levels, while flu levels are starting to rise albeit from low levels.

Autumn 2025 Covid Booster campaign.

The NHS Autumn Covid booster campaign started on October 1, 2025. This year’s Autumn vaccination campaign is set to end earlier in England than in previous years, with the majority of vaccinations scheduled to be completed by the end of November. However, outreach efforts to administer vaccines in underserved communities will continue after this date.

The following chart shows the number of Covid vaccinations given by week for each of the booster campaigns in England.

In the week ending November 30, there were 86,460 booster doses were administered, down from 112,041 the previous week, bringing the total to 4.49 million doses in the campaign's first eight weeks.

The next chart in this section provides the latest Covid vaccination coverage by Home Nation for the two main eligible groups. The chart indicates that while England and Scotland are making solid progress, Wales and Northern Ireland are progressing more slowly.

This week, NHS England released more details of the Autumn 2025 Covid booster campaign, highlighting the uneven coverage seen across the country. The following chart illustrates the regional difference in coverage for the two main eligible groups.

The chart shows a clear regional difference with London having the lowest coverage for both eligible groups. This is consistent with the pattern seen in previous campaigns.

The final chart in this section shows the inequality in coverage by deprivation level and ethnicity.

Just like in previous campaigns, people in the most deprived areas are far less likely to be vaccinated compared to those in the least deprived areas. Likewise, vaccination rates continue to be much lower among individuals from ethnic minority groups.

In conclusion

Although the amount of data currently being published is reduced, the information available for all home nations show that Covid activity is relatively low. However Flu activity is rising in all home nations indicating an early start to the Winter Flu season.

Covid activity in Europe is mostly declining or holding steady, although it’s on the rise in Germany. In the USA, activity levels remain low.

As always, if you have any comments on this Covid Situation Report or suggestions for topics to cover, please post a message below.

Appendix 1. Test positivity rates and prevalence

Positivity rates are derived from the results of hospital laboratory tests conducted on patients exhibiting symptoms of respiratory diseases. Test positivity is the percentage of patients who test positive for Covid of the total number of patients tested. Since the individuals tested for this measure are not a representative sample of the general population it differs from prevalence, which is derived from a representative sample of the population.