Record 1.7MILLION Brits had Covid last week as it's revealed 10 postcodes with highest rates in England are within three square miles of south London and one in 20 people in capital was infected - as daily cases hit new record of 122,000
A record 1.7million people had Covid last week and the ten worst-hit by Covid areas in England are all within a three square mile radius in south London, official figures showed today as UK cases rose to another new high of 122,000.
London is being battered hardest by the supermutant Omicron variant after quickly becoming a hotbed for the strain earlier this month, with one in 20 infected in the capital according to Office for National Statistics (ONS) data.
The ten postcodes — all in Wandsworth and Lambeth — have an average infection rate of 3,819 cases per 100,000 people, more than quadruple the 838 per 100,000 in the rest of the country.
Government dashboard data shows there were 122,186 positive tests across the country in the last 24 hours, which was up about 30 per cent on the week before and more than double the figure a fortnight ago.
Today's new infections mean nearly 900,000 Britons who've tested positive in the last 10 days face spending Christmas Day in self-isolation — although people who tested positive a week ago in England can be let out early if they come back negative on lateral flows.
Meanwhile separate ONS figures revealed nationally there were 1.69million infections per day in the week up to December 19 — last Sunday — rising 55 per cent compared to the previous week.
The survey — based on swabs of more than 555,000 people — is regarded as the most reliable indicator of Britain's Covid pandemic because it uses random sampling rather than relying on people coming forward for tests.
Despite there being a record number of infections last week, the ONS' findings are out of step with gloomy Government modelling that has suggested Omicron was doubling nationally every two days.
Testing positivity also suggests infection aren't increasing quite as quickly as expected, rising to 16 per cent on December 19 up from nine per cent at the start of the month.
Meanwhile, there were also another 137 Covid deaths today, marking a rise of about a quarter in a week. Latest hospital data shows there were another 1,171 new admissions on December 20, up 30 per cent.
But hospitalisations in London were dangerously close to the Government's threshold of 400 for more national restrictions, reaching 386 on December 22.
The rising statistics came as SAGE warned the NHS still faces a wave of Covid hospital admissions on par with or worse than previous peaks.
Mounting evidence — including findings three key UK studies — has indicated the Omicron variant is up to 70 per cent less likely to cause hospitalisation than Delta.
But SAGE — which has advised Government throughout the pandemic — warns the variant is spreading so fast that it could offset any reduction in severity.
London is being battered hardest by the new variant, with one in 20 infected with the virus and ten of the worst hit postcodes in England located within a three square mile stretch between Wandsworth and Lambeth (highlighted in yellow above)
Graph shows: The infection rate per 100,000 in the ten worst affected postcodes in the UK compared to the general rate in the rest of England since the start of October
ENGLAND: The ONS Covid-19 Infection Survey estimates around 1.5million people had Covid on any given day in the week leading up to December 19. The figure was up 65 per cent on the previous week
Map shows: The confirmed Covid case rate per 100,000 people in areas across the UK according to official UK Health Security Agency data
On another day of coronavirus chaos:- MailOnline analysis revealed nearly 900,000 people could be forced to spend Christmas Day in self-isolation after catching Covid in the past 10 days;
- Furious Tory MPs demanded the NHS clarifies how many Covid patients are primarily being treated for the virus amid concerns that the figures are being inflated by routine testing;
- Millions faced travel chaos on the first Christmas getaway since 2019 as airports struggled to process passengers, trains were cancelled amid rail strikes and signal failures and traffic experts predicted the busiest roads in years;
- Dr Jenny Harries, the head of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), warned New Year celebrations could be axed to stave off staff shortages and protect the vulnerable even if hospitalisations stay low;
- It was revealed a fourth jab could now be rolled out early to millions of Britons after a new study showed protection against Omicron wanes within three months of a booster.
Scientists have warned that even if only a tiny percentage of a vey large number infected people need hospital care, it could still result in a big wave of admissions.
But there are growing calls for ministers to reveal how many Covid patients are primarily being treated for the virus amid concerns that the figures are being inflated by routine testing.
Data from the UKHSA shows the ten worst hit Middle Layer Super Output Areas (MSOAs) — of which there are 6,791 in England — are located in a three square-mile area of south London.
Acre Lane in Brixton has the highest case rate in the country, with an average of 5,360 infections per 100,000 people during the week up to December 18.
The infection rate rose an incredible 366 per cent over seven days — more than quadrupling over the week.
It was followed by Clapham North (3,941), Tooting Bec Common (3,934) and Putney Town and Wandsworth Park (3,667).
Four of the top ten areas were in Clapham, the affluent neighbourhood in Lambeth known for its restaurants, bars and nightclubs.
In total, 44 of London's 982 MSOAs had an infection rate of more than 3,000 per 100,000 during the week, meaning more than three per cent of people in the areas were infected with the virus.
There were 2,260 people in hospital in London with Covid as of 8am this morning, NHS England said. This is the highest number since February 25 and is up 47 per cent from a week earlier.
During the second wave of coronavirus, the number peaked at 7,917 on January 18.
Across England, 7,366 patients were in hospital with Covid on December 24, the highest number since November 2 and up 17 per cent week-on-week. The second-wave peak for England was 34,336 on January 18. 
Research from King's College London scientists estimates there were a record 144,284 new cases per day in the week up to December 20, up 66 per cent on the previous week
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) national flu and Covid surveillance report shows cases doubled in more than a fifth of England’s local authorities during the week ending December 19. Map shows: The percentage change in infection rates in areas across England in the weeks ending December 12 (left) and 19 (right)
A UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) report became the fourth study to show the new strain causes less severe illness, suggesting the variant is between 50 and 70 per cent less likely to cause hospital admission and up to 45 per cent less likely to result in a person going to A&EMeanwhile, the ONS survey showed around one in 35 people in private households in England had Covid in the week to December 19 — up from one in 45 in the seven days to December 16.
This is the highest estimate for England since the ONS began estimating community infection levels for England in May 2020, and is equivalent to around 1.5 million people.
In London this rises to around one in 20 people likely to test positive for Covid, the highest proportion for any region in England, the ONS said. North-east England had the lowest proportion, at around one in 55.
The ONS also said that Covid infections compatible with the Omicron variant have increased in all regions in England with 'substantial regional variation', with the highest rates in London and the lowest in the North East.
Esther Sutherland, senior statistician for the Covid-19 Infection Survey said: 'These latest figures show a continued rise in infections across most of the UK, and among all age groups.
'The increase is most pronounced in London where the most recent data suggest one in 20 people had Covid-19 in the latest week.
'The figures also suggest the rapid spread of the Omicron variant is a significant factor in recent trends.'
The latest figures come after UKHSA Covid surveillance report showed cases across England increased by 64 per cent during the week up to December 19, with more than half a million recorded across the country during the week.
Cases increased by more than 100 per cent in 33 out of the 150 local authorities — 22 per cent — in the country last week.
The largest growth was seen in London boroughs, with two areas — Lambeth and Wandsworth in the southwest of the city — seeing infections more than treble.
Cases grew from 922 per 100,000 to 2,827 per 100,000 in Wandsworth (207 per cent) and from 974 per 100,000 to 2,937 per 100,000 in Lambeth (201 per cent).
They were followed by Hackney (191 per cent), Tower Hamlets (183 per cent) and Islington (178 per cent).
Of the 33 areas where cases doubled, three were not in the capital: Nottingham (120 per cent), Manchester (119 per cent) and Bristol (104 per cent).
Meanwhile, infections only fell in five areas of the country. They were: Torbay (down 15 per cent), Plymouth (12 per cent), North East Lincolnshire (11 per cent) and Devon and Shropshire (both four per cent).
UKHSA chief executive Dr Jenny Harries said data suggesting Omicron may be less likely to lead to serious illness than the Delta variant of coronavirus offers a 'glimmer of Christmas hope'.
But she warned that it is too early to downgrade the threat from the new strain, which is still spreading rapidly across the UK.
Dr Harries told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that more information is needed, particularly about the impact on elderly and more vulnerable patients.
She added: 'There is a glimmer of Christmas hope in the findings that we published yesterday, but it definitely isn't yet at the point where we could downgrade that serious threat.'
The UKHSA estimates that someone with Omicron is between 31 per cent and 45 per cent less likely to attend A&E and 50 per cent to 70 per cent less likely to be admitted to hospital than an individual with the Delta variant.
The rapid spread of Omicron has seen it become the 'dominant strain now right across the UK', and Dr Harries said cases are still doubling across 'most regions' of the country.
Dr Harries added: 'What we have got now is a really fine balance between something that looks like a lower risk of hospitalisation — which is great news — but equally a highly transmissible variant and one that we know evades some of our immune defences, so it is a very balanced position.'
The UKHSA data has fuelled speculation in Westminster that further restrictions can be avoided in England after Christmas.
And SAGE issued a fresh warning to ministers yesterday, minutes from the group's latest meeting show.
'The peak in admissions is highly uncertain,' they said. 'But, even with a reduction in severity, may be comparable to or higher than previous peaks in the absence of significant behaviour change or further interventions.
'Occupancy will depend on admissions and will also scale with length of stay (which may be reduced but there are no firm data yet).'
No comments: