London Covid cases rising sharply
Official figures reveal that Covid is spreading across London at a rate of more than 1,000 new cases a day at the moment. 16 London boroughs now have infection rates of more than 60 new cases per 100,000 people.
Part of the increase in cases is believed to be a direct result of more testing being conducted in recent days. That said, the virus is believed to be spreading, even in previously largely unaffected boroughs.
Redbridge shows the largest rise with 286 new positive Covid tests last week, indicating a rate of 93.7. Meanwhile, a rate of 86.4 in Richmond-upon-Thames renders it the second worst affected area with a total of 171 new cases in the last week. With a rate of 84.6 and 246 new cases, Hackney and City of London area is the third hardest hit. The majority of these cases are believed to be in Hackney.
The place least affected in London is Sutton, with a rate of 30.5 and only 63 new cases last week.
On September 25, London was declared an area of concern when there were just over 600 new cases daily. Since then, we have witnessed dramatic increases with 1,027 new cases on September 30 and 1,029 on October 1.
Despite all of this, Covid levels in London are still much lower than most areas in the North and Midlands. The rate in Manchester has skyrocketed, with 2,927 new cases recorded in the last week which equates to 529.4 cases per 100,000 people, up from 246.4 per 100,000 the week beforehand. Knowsley is in second while Liverpool are third in terms of infection rates. Newcastle upon Tyne, Nottingham, Leeds and Sheffield have also seen drastic increases in their rates of infection.
These statistics were released as officials try to track down tens of thousands of people who have caught Covid but whose cases were not documented by the test-and-trace system as a result of technical issues, a mistake which ministers confess may lead to more people contracting Covid. Officials of all levels nationwide maintain the message that the British public should obey restrictions in order to try and contain the virus as best possible.
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