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New figures have shown that one in 30 Londoners tested positive for Covid-19 between December 27 and January 2. The grim figure from the Office for National Statistics is notably higher than the one in 50 people thought to have tested positive for virus over the same period in England. The figures do not include people in hospitals or care homes.
The virus is continuing to spread in nearly all areas of the capital, according to new data released by the Mayor of London’s office. More than 87,000 Covid-19 cases were confirmed in the week after Christmas Day in London, a rate of 971 cases per 100,000 people. And the seven-day Covid rate has risen above 1,000 new cases per 100,000 people in 12 boroughs in the week leading up to December 31, with Barking and Dagenham recording the highest rate in the country at 1,496.4 per 100,000 people.
Professor Kevin Fenton, London regional director for Public Health England, said in a statement: ‘London’s Covid-19 infection rates are the highest we’ve seen anywhere in the county at any point in the pandemic. The new variant of the virus which transmits more rapidly is widespread and dominant across London, so the ask is simple – it is critical we must all stay at home.’
Today, #London has joined the rest of the country in the #NationalLockdown.@ProfKevinFenton explains why it is critical that Londoners stay at home to protect the NHS and save lives.
— PHE London region (@PHE_London) January 5, 2021
Check you understand the #StayAtHome guidance to #KeepLondonSafe here: https://t.co/oWzA3e2d5X pic.twitter.com/XYcR5ACLo6
If you’re concerned about the number of cases in your neighbourhood right now, take a look at this diagram, which plots weekly government statistics across the UK and then breaks down the information by postcode.