Norovirus cases remain high in England but have stabilised, while cases of respiratory viruses such as flu and RSV continued to fall, according to the UKHSA.
The latest statistics came after NHS England warned of a ‘second surge' in norovirus with cases reaching a winter high.
Amy Douglas, lead epidemiologist at UKHSA, said: ‘Norovirus activity has remained high in recent weeks but has stabilised. We are seeing the highest number of cases among individuals aged 65 years and over. Outbreaks in hospital settings have increased as well.'
Norovirus laboratory reports between weeks 6 and 7 of 2026 (2 February 2026 to 15 February 2026) were 37.6% higher than the 5-season average for the same 2-week period.
Respiratory viruses decreased in the week between 9 and 15 February 2026 and were circulating at base levels.
Flu positivity decreased with a weekly mean positivity rate of 3% compared with 4% in the previous week. Flu hospitalisations decreased to 1.30 per 100,000 compared with 1.61 per 100,000 in the previous week.
RSV positivity decreased slightly to 3.8% compared with 4.6% in the previous week. The weekly hospital admission rate for RSV remained stable at 1.14 per 100,000 compared with 1.18 per 100,000 in the previous week.
Covid positivity decreased slightly with a weekly mean positivity rate of 2.4% compared with 2.6% in the previous week. Hospitalisations decreased to 0.80 per 100,000 compared with 0.92 per 100,000 in the previous week. ICU admissions remained low at 0.02 per 100,000 compared with 0.02 per 100,000 in the previous week.
Dr Alex Allen, consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA, said: ‘UK Health Security Agency's surveillance shows respiratory virus cases continue to fall this week, which is really encouraging and another step in the right direction.
‘However, we still have some weeks to go until the end of flu season and people should continue taking simple steps such as covering your mouth when coughing and sneezing, hand-washing and ventilating rooms to protect themselves and those more vulnerable.'
