Daytime TV stars hit by mystery illness – ‘I’m completely floored by this thing,’ admits presenter Kirstie Allsopp, and she’s not alone
A mysterious ‘lurgy’ has infected several daytime TV stars in the same week. A ‘tidal wave’ of seasonal illnesses has hit hospitals across England.
Daytime TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp complained of a ‘chest infection/lurgy’ unlike anything she has ever had before.
The 53-year-old wrote on X yesterday: ‘I’m completely floored by this thing, what the hell is this?’
According to the real estate show star, she is not the only celebrity affected by the disease.
“It seems like it’s hit the celebrity circuit especially hard,” she wrote, adding that she is “desperately” looking for a public figure to replace her at a Christmas carol concert.
Presenter Jeremy Vine, 59, seemed to agree, saying: ‘Everyone’s got it.’
Former reality star and Good Morning Britain presenter Narinder Kaur, 51, added that she has also been wiped out by the disease, writing: ‘It’s been awful, I’ve been out for a good few weeks now.’
Social media is also full of people complaining about the ‘worst cold ever’.
Daytime TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp complained of a ‘breast infection/lurgy’ like she’s never had before
Allsopp isn’t the only one affected by the disease, as she notes that it has “hit the celebrity circuit particularly hard.”
One TikTok user mentioned @courtneyskyexx posted on the social media site, claiming she is suffering from a “stuffy/runny nose, sore and scratchy throat, headaches, sinus pain, earache and the worst body aches.”
Another content creator called @hollyburnsstold her 38,900 followers that she feels like she’s “dying.” She said: ‘One minute I’m freezing, the next minute I’m sweating buckets, then I’m coughing like a man, then I have no voice. But it’s not Covid. What is this?’
The testimonies come as NHS chiefs warn of alarming levels of flu hitting UK hospitals, with three times as many cases as this period last year.
According to the latest figures, flu hospital admissions have increased by 70 percent in the past week alone.
Although symptoms can vary from person to person, a cold is usually mild and more of a ‘nuisance’, while flu or Covid can keep you in bed for days and can be fatal for vulnerable people.
It is possible that the flu will be worse this year than last year.
Experts are warning that the vaccine – which is updated every year to protect against the latest strain of flu – may not provide sufficient protection against the version of the virus spreading in Britain.
The vaccine being rolled out in Britain is modeled on the jab used in southern hemisphere countries such as Australia and New Zealand, which had their winter flu season six months ago.
That’s because the same strain of flu usually hits these countries months before it reaches Britain in the winter months.
But data suggests the vaccine was about 30 percent less effective than normal in southern hemisphere countries this year.
This means Britain could also receive an ineffective jab.
Experts have also long predicted that post-pandemic flu seasons would be much worse than pre-Covid ones.
That’s because the 2020 and 2021 lockdowns disrupted seasonal cold and flu patterns, meaning people weren’t exposed to the virus for long periods of time.
This means that when people returned to their normal lives, their immune systems were weaker and contracting these viruses made them sicker, GP Eve Elizabeth Pennie previously told DailyMail.com.
Concerns had been raised about a ‘triple-demic’ of influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and Covid-19.
But after an 86 percent annual increase in norovirus cases in hospitals, the agency has been warned to brace for a ‘quad-demic’.
The NHS is encouraging eligible people to get vaccinated against flu without delay if they have not already done so.
Norovirus, also called the vomiting virus, has increased by 10 percent from last week and by almost two-thirds since (64 percent) last year.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, National Medical Director of the NHS, said: ‘The tidal wave of flu cases and other seasonal viruses hitting hospitals is deeply worrying for patients and for the NHS – the figures add to our ‘quad-demic’ concerns.
‘Although the NHS has plans to manage extra demand over the busy winter period, with a week left to book your vaccine, I cannot stress enough how important it is to get booked to protect yourself from serious illness and to protect the prevent party flu.’
Danielle Jefferies, senior analyst at think tank The King’s Fund, said the situation appears “fraught” for the NHS this winter.
“The number of cases of flu and other respiratory illnesses is already rising substantially and putting pressure on services, there are significant ambulance delays and 95 percent of hospital beds are occupied, well above levels considered safe.” , she said.
