Covid cases fall in every London borough as capital passes infections peak

COVID cases are falling in every London borough as the capital pushes through the third wave peak.

Infection rates have fallen across the 32 authorities by an average of 25 per cent in the past week.

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Drops of almost 40 per cent have been recorded in some boroughs - Havering (39 per cent), Bromley (37 per cent) and Bexley (37 per cent).

The smallest reductions in cases were in Brent (10 per cent) and Ealing (11 per cent).

But nonetheless, all boroughs saw a decline in cases in the week to January 13, PA analysis of Public Health England data shows.

Only two authorities have recorded more than 1,000 new cases per 100,000 people in the past week.

They are Barking and Dagenham (1,096) and Newham (1,043) - which have the second and third highest rates in the whole of England.

Roughly 9,700 people are testing positive for Covid in the capital every day - down from 14,300 at the start of the month.

London still has a long way to go in curbing cases, remaining the hotspot of the country.

And hospitals are still far busier than they have been at any point in the pandemic.

There were 7,686 Covid patients in London's hospitals on January 13, the most recent date, which is nine per cent higher than a week ago.

The figure is 30 per cent higher that at the peak of the first wave last April (5,201 on April 10).

Some 1,206 people are on ventilators in the capital - higher than the worst day in spring, when 1,057 were on ventilation on April 10.

Passing the peak in the capital

Professor Chris Whitty said he hoped the peak in infections had already happened in London, the South East, and East of England.

Speaking at the Downing Street Briefing on Friday, England’s chief medical officer said “we hope” that the peak of infections “already has happened” where there was a surge in the Kent variant.

The number of new hospital admissions per day are finally slowing, with 763 taken in on January 14 compared to 820 a week prior.

On the darkest day of the third wave, 913 people were admitted to London's hospitals with Covid on January 5.

However, looking at the picture more broadly, the number of patients being admitted to hospital with coronavirus is set to peak within the next 10 days, Professor Whitty said.

Dr Rupert Pearse, from the Intensive Care Society, said he thought London had now reached the peak level of infections but that the rate of infections was still growing elsewhere in England.

He told BBC Radio 4’s World At One today: “It varies a lot around the country and it varies a lot between hospitals, and that’s quite important to realise.

“It looks as though infections have peaked in London… but are still on the rise in the north-west of England and around Yorkshire, so there is still cause to be concerned.

“But perhaps mostly, hospital admissions tend to lag seven to 10 days behind the peak in infections and intensive care medicine unit admissions maybe 48 hours after those, so those hospitals that are very close to the maximum number of hospital beds that they can allocate for Covid are still very worried about what will happen in the coming days.”

While London's hospitals are starting to recover, many regions are still dealing with rising hospital admissions.

Daily admissions have not yet peaked in the East Midlands and the North West.

And of the local authorities in England which have seen an increase in case numbers, most are in the North West.

Generally, rates have fallen across every region in the country over the seven days to January 13.

The highest drop was in London, down from 1,014.6 cases per 100,000 people to 761.3 in the week to January 13, according to PA.

It is followed by eastern England, which is down from 755.0 to 556.6 and the South East which is down from 688.7 to 530.4.

Stay at home

With London on a path to recovery, the Health Secretary Matt Hancock urged Londoners to protect the NHS by sticking to the rules.

He told the Evening Standard. “We all have a role to play and we owe it to the NHS and care staff working all hours to look after us. Please stay at home to protect the NHS and save lives.

“I know Londoners will keep displaying that amazing spirit they have shown throughout this pandemic. Vaccines are our way out and that’s why it’s so important we keep our resolve.”

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been calling for restrictions that are tighter than those already in place to release pressure on the NHS.

Writing on Twitter on Saturday, Mr Khan said: "The stark reality is that the epidemic is worse than it was last March, the NHS pressures are higher, but the lockdown is lighter.

"This cannot continue. London leaders and I are left with little choice but to ask the Government to tighten measures."

The Mayor has called for mandatory mask wearing in some outdoor spaces like supermarket queues, and greater financial support for Londoners who need to self-isolate.