Chiswick's Fall in Covid-19 Infections 'Illusory'

Warning that peak of cases may not yet have been reached

People still unvaccinated urged to come forward to get jab

The latest data for the Chiswick area shows falls from the record levels seen before Christmas but local health professionals are urging caution

Whereas before the New Year Chiswick was a 'hot spot' in west London with some of the highest infection rates now has lower infection rates than surrounding areas.

The number of positive tests fell in four out of the six districts into which Chiswick is divided by the Office for National Statistics.

A local GP said, "The rates were so high in Chiswick in W4 the virus may just be running out of new people to infect but there is no cause for complacency and the fall in cases is illusory. The latest week of data we have includes New Year's Eve and New Year's Day when there will have been very few tests. Once that works itself out we will get a truer picture but looking at the way this strain behaved itself in South Africa, the peak may come later this month. With people returning to work and the schools going back, new records for infection rates might be broken.

"The more data we have about Omicron, the clearer the picture becomes - get vaccinated and get boosted if you don't want to become seriously ill. If you are careless about your own health remember, if you need hospital treatment, you will be taking up a bed that could have been used by someone else who didn't choose to be sick."

Latest map of Covid infections with darker areas having higher rates. Source: ONS

Having been relatively lightly affected in the initial wave of the new variant, local boroughs are now seeing case rates well above the London average. Hounslow now has the sixth highest infection rate at 1,958 per 100,000 population and Ealing is at 1,900.

Map showing the Middle Super Output Areas from the table above. Source: ONS

Maggie Throup, Minister for Vaccines and Public Health said, "At the moment people are eight times more likely to become hospitalised if they haven't had their jab and, I think, 90% of those in intensive care are unvaccinated."

London has seen a fall in people in intensive care with Covid-19 since the beginning of the New Year with 220 people on 8 January compared to 229 on 1 January. However, the number of people in London hospitals with the virus has risen to 3,819 from 3,666.

On 8 January 62 people died in London after becoming infected.

The total number of cases identified in London to date is 1,986,752 comprising 16.4 percent of the England total of 12,132,895 cases

In the most recent week of complete data (28 December 2021 - 3 January 2022) 158,942 new cases were identified in London, a rate of 1766 cases per 100,000 population. This compares with 161,315 cases and a rate of 1792 for the previous week

In England as a whole, 1,038,916 new cases were identified in the same week. This compares with 753,115 cases and a rate of 1332 for the previous week

Up to and including 7 January, 6,325,554 people in London had received the first dose of a vaccine and 5,741,956 had received two doses with 3,725,892 receiving either a third vaccine dose or a booster dose.

January 9, 2022