Every winter, doctors, experts and the government warn of the dangers of seasonal flu. This year, an early wave of cases was followed by a surge in terms such as "super flu" and "crisis", with politicians warning that patient safety could not be guaranteed in overburdened hospitals. Despite repeated warnings of doom, the number of flu cases has plateaued and has been steadily declining since mid-December. The test positivity rate fell to a weekly average of 17.2%, compared to 21.1% the previous week. NHS England figures released on January 2 show that 3,140 people were admitted to hospital with flu in the week ending December 14. The following week, ending December 21, that number dropped to 3,061.