Flu admissions have rocketed by more than half within a single week, throwing the NHS into what officials describe as a "worst case scenario" for December, according to data released today. Daily averages show 2,660 patients occupying hospital beds with flu during the past week – marking a record high for this period of the year.

RSV, covid and other winter illnesses are also circulating widely, leaving many people feeling poorly. While these conditions can pose greater risks to certain vulnerable populations, the majority of sufferers are typically able to recuperate from home, although knowing which medicines are best to take will help.

Thankfully, Abbas Kanani, superintendent pharmacist at Chemist Click, previously spoke to the Mirror about whether you should opt for paracetamol or ibuprofen. He said: "Paracetamol is probably more effective at bringing down temperature, so it's almost like a double-whammy, you get rid of your headache and bring your temperature down.

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"But if you feel that you have more body aches, that's your main symptom, then ibuprofen is probably slightly better as it's an anti-inflammatory." The pharmacist did however add a note of caution, as quite a few people are allergic to ibuprofen and the class of drugs it belongs to.

Mr Kanani also explained that you can actually take both medications together when you're feeling absolutely dreadful. "If you feel that one isn't enough you can take ibuprofen as well as paracetamol, you can take them together. A lot of people don't know that it's not one or the other, you can put them together as they work in different ways."

While these two medications can help with aches, pains, temperatures and mild cold and flu symptoms, the pharmacist warns they won't do much for those battling coughs and nasal congestion. To tackle these particular symptoms, you'd need to turn to cold and flu products instead.

For example, medicines containing a decongestant would be most effective for a blocked nose, whilst you'd need an expectorant for mucus-producing coughs and a cough suppressant for a dry, tickly cough. However, when taking cold and flu medicines, it's essential to always check the packet and leaflet to see what other products you can safely combine with them, as whilst you can take both paracetamol and ibuprofen together, you may not be able to take or mix these with other medications.