New confirmed cases of Covid-19 have dropped off again in Southwark over the past week, although the number of tests completed in the borough is also down.
Some 2,573 people tested positive for Covid-19 from January 12-18, a fall of nearly 43 per cent, similar to the decrease recorded in much of London.
The borough now ranks around the middle of the 32 London boroughs for new Covid infections, after being one of the leaders in the run-up to Christmas.
But the number of tests done was also down by more than 45 per cent, suggesting that some cases may have been missed. This is a pattern that was repeated across south-east London and the rest of the capital: steep drop-offs in cases alongside a fall in test numbers.
At 78, the number of people going into Guy’s and St Thomas’ trust hospitals with Covid-19 was down about one per cent in the first week of January compared to the week before, the latest figures available.
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Deaths in Southwark within four weeks of a positive Covid test were up slightly between January 12 and January 18, at thirteen, compared to twelve the week before.
It came as the UK as a whole recorded the highest number of deaths linked to Covid-19 since February last year on Tuesday (January 18), with 438. New figures are often higher on Tuesdays due to slower reporting on the weekend. Cases countrywide dropped markedly to 94,432, from 120,821 the week before.
Despite the rise in deaths, the government said that it would cut Covid restrictions significantly from next week.
Health secretary Sajid Javid told the House of Commons on Tuesday: “I have always said that these restrictions should not stay in place a day longer than they are absolutely necessary.
“Due to these pharmaceutical defences and the likelihood that we have already reached the peak of the case numbers and hospitalisations, I’m cautiously optimistic that we’ll be able to substantially reduce measures next week.”