VIRUS CASES DROP BY HALF ACROSS EIGHT BOROUGHS IN WEEK

COVID-19 cases have halved in eight boroughs in a week, according to official figures which also show that more than four million vaccine jabs have been administered in London.

Coronavirus infections have fallen so much in one borough that the rate was equivalent to less than one confirmed case a day per 100,000 people.

The figures show Haringey saw the biggest fall in cases, down 64.9 per cent in the week to April 8, compared to the previous week. Bexley had a drop of 62.4 per cent, Southwark 61.8 per cent, Greenwich 57 per cent, Merton 56.5 per cent, Sutton 51 per cent, Kensington and Chelsea 50.7 per cent, and Lambeth 50 per cent.

The large percentage falls are partly due to cases being so low that a small drop in cases equates to a large percentage change.

Only two boroughs saw increases; Hackney and City of London up 28.6 and up Westminster 12.7 per cent.

Southwark had the lowest seven-day rate of 6.6 confirmed infections per 100,000 people a week, followed by Lambeth on 9.2. The highest rate was Hillingdon at 38.8, followed by Hounslow on 34.6. Fourteen boroughs had a rate between 10 and 20, and a further 14 between 20 and 30.

London’s seven-day rate was 19.5, down 32.5 per cent on the previous week. Some 19,293 second dose vaccines were announced yesterday to have been administered in the capital, taking the total so far to 787,633. An additional 4,127 first dose jabs means 3,307,580 of those have been given, bringing the combined total to 4,095,213.