Numbers admitted to hospital with flu are already outstripping last year's peak.
Despite an "extraordinary” surge in flu cases, NHS services in Scotland are said to be holding up well - Health Secretary Neil Gray has told MSPs.
The Health Secretary also said while flu numbers are continuing to rise, “the rate of increase appears to have slowed”. Speaking about the “impact of peak winter demand” on the health service, he said it “is traditionally a challenging period of the year, and this year has been no different”. Tory health spokesperson Dr Sandesh Gulhane said, however, that the number being vaccinated was down on last year. Describing flu as a “serious and potentially fatal illness”, he said there had been “a 25% reduction in vaccinations delivered compared to last year”.
Mr Gray thanked ambulance staff for “their sacrifice and devotion to their task”, praising them for “staying at work beyond the end of their shift as they wait to turn around at hospitals”.
Jackie Baillie Labour Party Norovirus Flu
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