The number of confirmed COVID-19 infections in Southwark has nearly doubled in the last week.
Although overall numbers remain low, the quick rise is worrying – with 49 new cases identified in the last seven days.
Southwark has had 1,611 total confirmed cases so far – meaning a current infection rate of 505.3 per 100,000 people. It currently has the fourth highest infection rate in London.
This is only topped by Brent (with 1,894 cases at a rate of 574.3), Ealing (1,779 cases and a rate of 520.5), and Croydon (1962 cases at a rate of 507.4).
Rates in neighbouring Lambeth, Lewisham and Greenwich are considerably lower at 467.7, 432.6, and 361.5 respectively.
The majority of cases and highest infection rates are still seen outside the capital with the midlands, north and parts of Wales all home to the ten worst affected areas. Leicester still records the highest infection rate – 1,583 per 100,000 people.
According to Southwark Council, a ‘high proportion’ of those diagnosed in Southwark are among people aged eighteen to 34. Transmission appears to mainly be within families and friendship groups.
This tallies with speculation that deaths are still going down despite a rise in new infections because the disease is increasingly more likely to be transmitted between younger and relatively healthy people.
After sharply dropping at the end of June, daily cases across the country have now risen to around 1,000 a day in the last few weeks.
A total of 41,465 deaths so far have been recorded as a result of COVID-19 – categorised as people who died within 28 days of a positive test.
More than 133,000 people in total have been hospitalised with the disease since the pandemic began, with 3,000 a day admitted in England at its peak.
As of Monday there were 782 patients in UK hospitals with COVID-19, 68 of them on ventilators.
It make me laugh with the Corona you go aboard to Tenerife and have to quarantine 14 days if you could fly to Greece and other places and not quarantine they fly the same I go out the UK but still come back to the UK the same the government don’t even know what to do makes you laugh so what you can’ get on a plane going to Tenerife but you can’t get it when you go to Greece so no wonder people in the self of the highest to have it and I know of people work In the south but live in the east of London and have been on holiday It’s a joke
The only way to keep the virus away is to wear a mask and practice social distancing. But most young people in Southwark don’t understand and are not bothering to do either so the virus has come back. It’s not rocket science, just stupidity.
People spitting is spreading the disease
Walking around Southwark I see more old people not wearing a mask than young people.