Amid an alarming surge of flu and COVID-19 cases, some of the major hospitals in Eastern England have introduced visitor restrictions citing risks to vulnerable patients. Some trusts have also started requiring patients to wear a mask in clinical areas. Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge and Rosie Maternity Hospital are among the trusts that have brought curbs to check the spread of disease.

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Hospital staff under pressure

UK broadcaster BBC quoted a spokeswoman for Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as saying that its staff was under an “increased pressure”. "We are under increased pressure because of high levels of flu, winter vomiting bugs, Covid and respiratory illness, ” she said.

"We apologise to any patients waiting longer than usual – hospital staff are following a number of well-rehearsed protocols to manage the pressures and keep patients safe," the spokeswoman added.

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On its website, the trust wrote that its emergency department was “very busy”. "Please think carefully about where to go for treatment," the warning read.

England facing massive health crisis

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England is facing a massive surge in flu cases, with the National Health Service reporting an average of 4,469 cases each day last week. More than 200 patients are understood to be in critical condition.

According to the NHS, some hospitals have taken additional measures to tackle the rising cases of flu and other winter viruses, including putting extra beds in place. The chief executive of the NHS Confederation, Matthew Taylor, earlier asserted the NHS had done "all it could" in advance to reduce risk to patients, but the service remained in a position of "national vulnerability".

Also read: China HMPV scare: Beijing confirms infection surge, calls it 'annual winter occurrence'

NHS figures from the last week showed more than 12,000 patients had waiting time for ambulances of over an hour. The head of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, Dr Adrian Boyle, was quoted by BBC as saying that their ambulances were “stuck outside emergency departments,” and their emergency departments were “full".

He also added that the hospitals were facing a “chronic lack of beds”.

(With inputs from agencies)