Falling rates of norovirus have slowed and are at their highest rate ever at the start of spring. Hospital admissions for serious cases suggest it is still circulating at high levels in England with 903 patients admitted with the sickness bug last week.

This is two thirds higher than the previous record number of cases during the same week ending on March 24. It is down from the winter peak of 1,160 in mid-February but the decline has slowed. The number of patients in hospital with the flu have stabilised around 1,044 – slightly down from 1,174 last week.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, England’s Medical Director, said: “While the worst of winter is no doubt over for NHS staff, virus rates in our remain stubbornly high and we are still feeling the pressure – the green shoots of spring for the NHS aren’t showing just yet.

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“Hospitals continue to run at near capacity, while the added pressure from almost one in seven beds taken up by patients who don’t need to be in hospital hasn’t relented for 12 weeks and counting. It’s vital that the public continue to use 999 and A&E in life-threatening emergencies and use NHS 111 – and 111 online – if you need advice and support for other conditions”

Norovirus spreads through faeces, which means it can be passed on easily if someone has not properly washed their hands after using the bathroom. According to the NHS, the main symptoms of norovirus usually start “suddenly”. These may include, feeling sick, being sick (vomiting), and diarrhoea. However, you can also experience a high temperature, a headache, tummy pain, and body aches and pains.

If you notice any symptoms, the NHS says you should not go to school, nursery or work until you have not been sick or had diarrhoea for two days. You should also avoid hospitals and care homes for the same period.

Hospital occupancy is dangerously high at 94% and means more than nine in ten adult beds have been occupied for 12 weeks running.

One in seven beds were taken up by patients who no longer needed to be there last week, due mainly to a lack of social care beds to discharge them to. Over half of those medically-fit patients have been in hospital for more than three weeks.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “I would like to thank all NHS staff for their resolve, dedication, and hard work in the face of everything this winter has thrown at them. As we move into spring, the pressures that remain on the health service are a stark reminder that we cannot take our eye off the ball.”

Emergency services continue to respond to persistent high levels of demand with 96,452 ambulance handovers last week alone. Despite the warming this is a slight increase from 94,755 the week before.

Ambulance handover delays over 30 minutes continued to fall to less than half of what it was in early January. This was 17,288 hours of handover time over 30 mins, down from 49,002 hours.

However this improvement has largely come at the expense of widespread “corridor care” as patients are being admitted into A&E from ambulances whether or not there is an available bed for them.

Mr Streeting added: “Now is the time to take stock and learn the lessons from this winter which, through our upcoming urgent and emergency care plan, can help shorten waiting times in A&E and reduce ambulance delays next winter. Through the government’s Plan for Change we will make our NHS fit for the future.”