How may people in hospital with the flu had the flu vaccine in the uk

1. What the data you asked for typically looks like — and why the UK number is not in one phrase

Public health agencies usually report vaccine effectiveness (VE) and the proportion of hospital cases that were vaccinated in specific age or risk groups, rather than a single national count of hospitalized people with flu who had been vaccinated; the sources here give VE estimates (children ~70–75%, adults ~30–40%) and rising admission counts but do not state a single total number of hospitalised vaccinated patients for the UK ^{[1] [2] [3]}. Available sources do not mention a single UK-wide count of hospitalized flu patients who had received the vaccine.

2. Vaccine effectiveness against severe outcomes — what UK reporting shows

Early analyses cited by UKHSA and reported in outlets show current vaccines continue to protect against severe disease even when mismatched to a new subclade: vaccine effectiveness against hospital attendance and admissions is reported within a normal range at about 70–75% for children and about 30–40% for adults ^{[1] [2]}. Those VE numbers mean vaccinated people are substantially less likely, especially children, to need hospital care when exposed to circulating strains ^{[1] [2]}.

3. Hospital admissions are rising — context from regional reporting

Public Health Scotland reported that lab‑confirmed cases more than doubled in one recent week (from 845 to 1,759) and that hospital admissions due to flu increased by 70% (from 426 to 724) in that same interval, underscoring a rapid burden on hospitals even while vaccines retain protection against severe outcomes ^[3]. The sources link rising admissions to a faster, early season driven by a mutated strain and lower vaccination coverage in some groups ^{[2] [3]}.

4. Why a high share of hospital patients might still include vaccinated people

Even an effective vaccine will not prevent every hospitalization: when overall case numbers are high, the absolute number of vaccinated people who later require hospital care can rise. Media and health‑agency reporting stress that early VE estimates show protection but also note the season’s early start left many unvaccinated at first exposure, which can increase the pool of hospital cases and complicate simple vaccinated/unvaccinated tallies ^{[2] [1]}.

5. Vaccine coverage and population risk groups matter

The Guardian cited UKHSA saying fewer than one‑third of people with long‑term health conditions had come forward for the vaccine, which concentrates serious outcomes in under‑vaccinated vulnerable groups and can push up admissions ^[2]. Public Health Scotland’s messaging similarly emphasizes targeting those aged 65+, pregnant women and people with underlying conditions for vaccination because those groups drive hospitalisation risk ^[3].

6. Conflicting emphases across sources — protection vs. worry

Sources present two consistent but different emphases: scientific and public‑health communication highlight that vaccines still reduce the odds of hospital attendance/admission substantially (especially in children), while hospital managers and some scientists warn the mutated strain and low uptake in key groups could produce very large waves of admissions and strain services ^{[1] [2] [3]}. Both perspectives come from the same underlying data but stress different policy implications.

7. What is missing from current reporting and why that limits definitive answers

None of the supplied documents provides a UK‑wide numerator/denominator tally — e.g., “X patients hospitalized with lab‑confirmed flu, of whom Y were vaccinated” — across all hospitals and age groups; instead reporting focuses on VE estimates, regional admission trends, and subgroup uptake ^{[1] [2] [3]}. For a precise national vaccinated‑hospitalised count you would need consolidated patient‑level data from UKHSA/NHS England/Devolved Health Services that the current articles do not publish (not found in current reporting).

8. Practical takeaway for readers

Vaccination remains the most reliable tool to reduce the chance of needing hospital care: early UKHSA‑reported effectiveness is strong in children (70–75%) and moderate in adults (30–40%), and public‑health bodies are urging eligible people to get vaccinated as admissions climb ^{[1] [2] [3]}. If you want a precise count of vaccinated people among UK flu hospitalisations, request consolidated surveillance outputs or patient‑level breakdowns from UKHSA or NHS regional dashboards, because the cited press and public‑health releases do not supply that single figure (not found in current reporting).