Infection rate rises in borough

CONCERNS have been raised over Hounslow after the rate of coronavirus infection continues to climb in the borough.

The latest reliable data shows that in a seven-day period there have been 83 new cases of coronavirus confirmed in the west London borough.

That equates to a rate of 30.6 cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 residents. That compares to a rate of just 19.5 the week before when 53 cases were confirmed.

Although the rate is far from the highest in the country – Bolton is 179.1 per 100,000 residents – it is edging closer to the 40 cases per 100,000 informal threshold used by the government to help assess if a local authority should be put under a local lockdown.

Although the threshold is not the only factor used to judge if a local lockdown is necessary, it is one of the core criteria used by the government to judge if a local lockdown is required to bring cases back under control.

The data is collected from September 2 to September 8, the latest seven-day period for which accurate statistics are available.

The rolling seven-day average announced on Friday September 11 was slightly lower than on Thursday September 10, when the rate was 33.4 with 88 cases, however both are significantly higher than the rate the week before.

Hounslow Council has been contacted for comment on what is behind the uptick and what it is doing to combat the rise.

In mid-August, Hounslow had seen an increase in cases due to a localised outbreak in the Heston area, which was targeted by extra public health messaging and engagement with community leaders.

Hounslow is not the only London borough edging closer to a possible local lockdown.

Figures show Redbridge has the highest seven-day rate of 36.4 cases per 100,000 residents followed by Newham (34.5), Harrow (32.3) and Havering (32).