National Flu Service launched

The government has confirmed that the number of new cases of the swine flu virus in England is estimated at 100,000.

It has launched the National Flu Service, which allows people to obtain antiviral medication over the internet or by telephone without needing to visit the GP.

The site received 9.3 million hits during the first couple of hours it was live and it was reported it had crashed due to the demand.

The government also released information about the number of deaths caused by the virus. The most recent figures revealed there were 26 deaths - the same figure as the previous week - although the government has changed how it categorises deaths.

After investigating some of the deaths in last week's tally that were initially thought to be caused by the virus, the government removed them from the list when swine flu was found not to be the cause of death.

Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson also stated that there could be "a little bit of possible good news".

Although the number of cases rose from 55,000 to an estimated 100,000, the amount of people admitted to hospital has not increased correspondingly.

Around 840 patients are in hospital - 63 of whom are in intensive care - in comparison to 652 last week.

Sir Liam added: "There is no evidence to suggest it is becoming more virulent. Most people with no underlying conditions will get over the flu perfectly well."

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