D
eaths from Covid-19 have fallen 70 per cent in London over the past three weeks, confirming that the capital is succeeding in its battle to squeeze out the disease.
The latest official data shows that new cases have tumbled 88 per cent since the peak on January 1, hospital admissions are down by two-thirds and there are 55 per cent fewer Covid patient in the city’s hospitals.
Data suggests that the pandemic hit London sooner and more savagely than it did other regions, but the capital is emerging ahead of the UK average. Nationally, deaths are down 55 per cent and patient numbers down a third.
The borough-by-borough analysis shows central London has the lowest rates now. Four boroughs have rock bottom rates of under 100 new cases per 100,000 population. They are Camden (with 79.6 cases per 100,000), Hackney and the City of London (97.6), Islington (98.2), Tower Hamlets (95.2).
The highest rates are found in the Heathrow Triangle, a trio of boroughs close to the airport in west London: Ealing, with London’s highest infection rate, at 248.7 cases per 100,000 population; Hillingdon (226.2) and Hounslow (244.2). Brent in north London is fourth highest with a rate of 213.2.
The other 24 boroughs all have rates of between 100 and 200.
Mayor Sadiq Khan appealed to people to “stay at home” and not break the rules despite the improvements, saying cases needed to come down further before it was safe to relax.
“Cases might be dropping in London, but with the vaccines being rolled out, this is no time to break the rules,” he said. “Every day you stay at home, you are doing your part to combat this virus.”
The Monday audit of key coronavirus data for the capital shows:
– Deaths: Some 24 deaths were reported on Sunday – down from 44 last Sunday, 58 the previous Sunday and 101 the week before that. The highest London death toll in a single day was 204 on January 18. Using the smoothed-out seven-day average, the death toll peaked at 194 on January 16 and saw a steady fall to 59 by February 7, a 70 per cent fall and the lowest since December 22. A grim total of 14,648 people have died in London within 28 days of a positive test.
– Cases: 893 positive tests were reported on Sunday – which is less than half the 2,088 last Sunday. Since January 1, the “smoothed out” seven-day average has come down from 14,323 to 1,767 – a drop of 88 per cent. Cases are at the lowest since October 17, falling for the first time below the level that triggered the November lockdown.
– Rate: The rate per 100,000 population has dropped from a peak of 1,118 on January 4 to 151, a drop of 86 per cent.
– Hospital admissions: 217 patients were rushed to hospital on Sunday, a quarter of the 977 admitted on January 6. The smoothed-out seven-day average shows a sustained fall from 864 on January 6 to 258 on February 1.
Related
– Patient numbers: There were 3,562 patients in hospital on Sunday, down 55 per cent from a peak of 7,917 on January 18.
– Ventilators: The number of very ill patients relying on ventilators to stay alive was 865 on Sunday, down from 1,016 last Sunday. The smoothed-out weekly average shows a gradual fall of a quarter in ventilator use, from 1,213 on January 20 to 911 by February 10.
Here is the latest borough data from Public Health England, showing the number of new cases in the most recent week, the percentage change in new cases and the rate of new infections over seven days per 100,000 population.
Barking and Dagenham: 414 new cases (-36.2%); rate per 100,000 population 194.5
Barnet: 580 cases (-42.0%); rate 146.5
Bexley: 322 cases (-40.1%); rate 129.7
Brent: 703 cases (-39.7%); rate 213.2
Bromley: 391 cases (-38.4%); rate 117.7
Camden: 215 cases (-43.7%); rate 79.6
Croydon: 617 cases (-38.4%); rate 159.6
Ealing: 850 cases (-36.1%); rate 248.7
Enfield: 469 cases (-40.4%); rate 140.5
Greenwich: 404 cases (-44.4%); rate 140.3
Hackney + City of London: 284 cases (-47.1%); rate 97.6
Hammersmith and Fulham: 332 cases (-33.3%); rate 179.3
Haringey: 317 cases (-47.0%); rate 118.0
Harrow: 458 cases (-41.6%); rate 182.4
Havering: 442 cases (-24.2%); rate 170.3
Hillingdon: 694 cases (-36.9%) rate 226.2
Hounslow: 663 cases (-37.9%); rate 244.2
Islington: 238 cases (-40.8%); rate 98.2
Kensington and Chelsea: 184 cases (-34.8%); rate 117.9
Kingston upon Thames: 267 cases (-34.7%); rate 150.4
Lambeth: 506 cases (-36.9%); rate 155.2
Lewisham: 363 cases (-47.4%); rate 118.7
Merton: 371 cases (-38.9%); Rate 179.6
Newham: 653 cases (-38.8%); rate 184.9
Redbridge: 463 cases (-46.0%); rate 151.7
Richmond upon Thames: 278 cases (-32.5%); rate 140.4
Southwark: 353 cases (-49.0%); rate 110.7
Sutton: 308 cases (-49.1%); rate 149.3
Tower Hamlets: 309 cases (-45.1%); rate 95.2
Waltham Forest: 394 cases (-39.1%); rate 142.2
Wandsworth: 441 cases (-36.9%); rate 133.8
Westminster: 265 cases (-39.2%); rate 101.4
