Health experts undecided if latest wave has peaked
Advice is unequivocal - get vaccinated
There is no clear picture at the moment as to whether the peak of the Omicron virus has been reached in the SW15 post code area with rates rising and falling in different neighbourhoods.
Having reached record levels just before Christmas infection rates in the local area are generally down but some health experts query whether or not the falls could be accounted for by reduced availability of tests.
The highest rate locally is in Roehampton and Putney Vale which saw 153 new cases in the week to 8 January a 5.5% increase on the previous week to give an infection rate of 1,808.1. In the same week the rate in Putney Embankment & Lower Common fell by a quarter to 1,201.0
A local GP said, “Figures over the Christmas and New Year are going to be distorted by unusual patterns of behaviour and an alternative set of data also provided by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) suggests that cases rates continue to rise into the New Year. These numbers are extrapolated from the proportion of tests that are positive rather than the absolute number which means that a lack of availability won’t distort the total. This data suggests that 4 million people in the country had Covid around the turn of the year – this is higher than the number of positive tests because it includes those who haven’t been tested. This data is slower to be released but the latest number we have is at a record high.
“I appreciate this is a bit of a ‘number soup’ which just serve to confuse but the bottom line is that it is not yet time to become complacent. The one piece of data you really need to be aware of is that most people being admitted to hospital with Covid are not vaccinated, so get your jabs.”
Wandsworth, having been one of the worst hit boroughs in London before the holidays, now has a rate around the London average at 1523 per 100,000 population. The highest rate is in Hounslow at 1,938.
| Covid-19 Infections in SW15 Week To 8 January | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Area (MSOA) | Cases to July | Rate per 100,000 | Change (%) |
| Roehampton South & Putney Vale | 153 |
1,808.1 |
5.5 |
| West Hill North | 125 |
1,716.6 |
-13.2 |
| Southfields North | 157 |
1,639.2 |
13.8 |
| Roehampton North East | 174 |
1,541.6 |
0.6 |
| Putney West | 119 |
1,317.7 |
-16.2 |
| Putney Town & Wandsworth Park | 199 |
1,647.4 |
-1.5 |
| Roehampton North West | 109 |
1,524.5 |
0.9 |
| East Putney | 126 |
1,338.9 |
-12.5 |
| West Hill South | 123 |
1,635.9 |
12.8 |
| Putney Embankment & Lower Common | 103 |
1,201.0 |
-25.9 |
Source: Office of National Statistics
The number of Covid-19 patients in London hospitals fell to 3,662 on 13 January down from over 4,000 a week before. During the same week the number of Covid patients on ventilators fell from 242 to 217.
The total number of Covid-19 cases identified in London to date is 2,060,180 comprising 16.2 percent of the England total of 12,680,151 cases
In the week to 8 January 137,423 new cases were identified in London, a rate of 1526 cases per 100,000 population. This compares with 158,752 cases and a rate of 1763 for the previous week.
In England as a whole, 958,774 new cases were identified in the same week, a rate of 1695 cases per 100,000 population. This compares with 977,045 cases and a rate of 1728 for the previous week
Up to and including 12 January, 6,339,115 people in London had received the first dose of a vaccine and 5,760,871 had received two doses with 3,835,887 receiving either a third vaccine dose or a booster dose. The advice from the government remains that you should get vaccinated or receive your booster as soon as possible.
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January 14, 2022
