Ondon was staring today at his level 3 status as official figures showed weekly double-digit rises in Covid-19 cases in 24 regions.
Professor Kevin Fenton, head of public health in the capital, has warned of the “worrisome course” of the disease and appealed to Londoners to abide by the rules of social distancing.
The call came as the gloomy numbers showed:
- 4,144 new confirmed cases were announced in one day in London, nearly a fifth of the total in the UK
- Four boroughs, Harrow, Waltham Forest, Enfield and Haringey, experienced a spike of more than 50 percent in cases in the week ending December 5.
- The disease is spreading across the capital, with significant increases in some of the previous infection areas in central London, including Southwark, Islington and Lambeth.
- Seven-day incidence rate per 100,000 people breaching 300 new cases per week in four boroughs, Hafring, Barking and Dagenham, Altham Forest and Redbridge
- Health Minister Matt Hancock confirmed that the disease is rising faster among children of high school age between the ages of 11 and 18 years, while the rate among adults in London is “generally stable”. It has announced that exams will be held in high schools in seven counties
- There were 92 Covid incidents linked to schools in London in the week through December 6, ranging from the outbreak, to single cases or contact of people working at the school after testing positive but not being on site for a few days
- At least two lawmakers secretly called for schools in hotspots to be closed immediately
- The number of admissions to London hospitals rose to 1,178 in a week, with 210 cases on Monday, the highest number since May 6, although the numbers are still well below the peak of the first wave.
- The seven-day capital rate rose to 191.2 new cases per 100,000, near the previous second wave peak of 200 in mid-November, and is expected to rise further in the coming days.
- Doctors have improved a lot in treating Covid, and the number of Londoners who use ventilators in hospitals has decreased slightly, 241 in the ninth, although it is expected to rise in the coming weeks after the increase in cases.
Professor Fenton told The Standard: “London now has the highest infection rates of any region across the country, and infections are increasing day by day. This is now a true test of our resilience as a city.
We know that as cases rise, hospitalizations and deaths follow. The current path is a worrying path, but we can change its course if each of us does our part.
“Our actions today will directly affect the health and well-being of ourselves and those close to us throughout the holidays, as well as affect the burdens on the NHS during the holidays and the New Year.”
Cabinet Secretary Michael Gove suggested earlier this week that the government wants to keep the territories at their current level or put them at a lower level, if possible.
He also stressed that ministers and health chiefs will take into account the quality of hospital treatment, and that those in London are subjected to much less pressure from Covid patients than they were in the first wave and compared to some other regions.
However, since his remarks, the Covid crisis in London has worsened.
Nevertheless, the Ministers are acutely aware of the impact of London’s status, the country’s economic strength, at Level 3.
Professor Fenton added: “The message is simple – stick to the rules. We know that more contact leads to more cases and that one in three people infected with the virus transmits it without realizing it.”
“Let’s wash our hands diligently, wear our masks with pride and distance ourselves with respect. It is up to us to have the effect we choose.”
Full official figures show this harrow There were 549 cases, an increase of 202 (58.2 per cent) at a rate of 218.6 per 100,000 people in the week ending December 5, Waltham Forest 891 cases, an increase of 316 (55%) at a rate of 321.7, Enfield – 799 cases, an increase of 282 cases (54.5%) at a rate of 239.4, Haringey 557 cases, an increase of 195 (53.9%) at a rate of 207.3, Sutton 377 cases, an increase of 114 (43.3 percent), a rate of 182.7, Greenwich 574 cases, an increase of 148 (34.7%) at a rate of 199.3, Southwark 425 cases, an increase of 109 (34.5 percent), a rate of 133.3, Hovering 985 cases, up 235 (31.3%), at a rate of 379.5, Hackney and the City of London 546 cases, an increase of 130 (31.2%) at a rate of 187.7,
Bromley 636 cases, an increase of 146 (29.8%), a ratio of 191.4, Croydon 670 cases, an increase of 154 (29.8%), a rate of 173.3, Islington 324 cases, an increase of 73 (29.1%), at a rate of 133.6, and Lambeth 433 cases, an increase of 92 (27%), an average of 132.8 cases.
in a WandsworthThere were 428 cases, an increase of 90 cases (26.6%), a rate of 129.8. Barking and Dagenham 671 cases, an increase of 124 (22.7%), a rate of 315.2, Kingston 394 cases, an increase of 72 (22.4%), an average of 222, Tower Hamlets 786 cases, an increase of 134 (20.6 percent), an average of 242, Bexley 649 cases, an increase of 109 (20.2%) at a rate of 261.4, Lewisham 389 cases, up 62 (19%), at a rate of 127.2, Barnet 698 cases, an increase of 110 (18.7%), a rate of 176.3, Hillingdon 575 cases, an increase of 86 cases (17.6%), a rate of 187.4, Newham 938 cases, an increase of 99 cases (11.8 percent), an average of 265.6, Merton 383 cases, an increase of 37 cases (10.7%), a rate of 185.4, Kensington and Chelsea 183 cases, an increase of 17 cases (10.2%), with a rate of 117.2.
Richmond No change was seen with 177 cases, or by 89.4.
Hounslow 417 cases witnessed a decrease of 41 (9%) at a rate of 153.6, Westminster 233 cases, down 17 cases (6.8 percent), an average of 89.2, Brent 503 cases, down 31 cases (5.8%), a rate of 152.5, Ealing 575 cases, down 32 (5.3 percent), at a rate of 168.2, Redbridge 917 cases, down 18 (1.9 percent) at a rate of 300.4, Camden 262 cases, down a fifth (1.9%), at a rate of 97, and Hammersmith and Fulham 187 cases, down two cases (1.1%), an average of 101.
