Some 6,772 people tested positive for the virus in Southwark in the week from January 26-February 1, government figures show – an increase of nearly 178 per cent
New cases of Covid-19 are rising sharply again in Southwark, after weeks when infections appeared to be dropping off.
Some 6,772 people tested positive for the virus in Southwark in the week from January 26-February 1, government figures show. That’s an increase of nearly 178 per cent on the previous week.
Before that there had been weeks of declining new cases in Southwark and across London, following the sharp spike in December driven by the fast spread of the Omicron variant.
Southwark’s rise in new cases mirrored the story across south-east London and the rest of the capital, with infections going up the most in Newham, which recorded a weekly increase of more than 260 per cent.
Out of the south-east London boroughs, Lambeth had the most new cases, with 7,591 and the biggest increase, at about 216 per cent. Bromley was next, with 7,198 new infections, followed by Southwark. Lewisham and Greenwich had 6,258 and 6,059 new cases respectively, while in Bexley 5,428 more people tested positive.
It comes after the NHS rolled out booster jabs for children as young as five who are vulnerable or live with someone with a compromised immune system on Sunday, amid rising infection rates in schools. Some 500,000 children fall into this bracket, the health service said.
Vaccines minister Maggie Throup said: “I would like parents and guardians to be reassured that no new vaccine for children would have been approved unless the expected standards of safety, quality and effectiveness had been met.
“I encourage as many as possible to make sure they get their child the jab when contacted – the paediatric vaccine will offer the best possible protection for your child”.
https://www.southwarknews.co.uk/news/covid-cases-rise-steeply-again-in-southwark-and-across-london-after-weeks-of-decline/
