Covid rates on the rise in south London amid vaccine worries

Whilst rates have been falling in recent weeks, the latest coronavirus data shows a number of boroughs have reported Covid-19 ates are starting to creep up once again, with nine out of 12 boroughs reporting an increase in new cases.

Professor Helen Ward, a public health and infectious disease expert at Imperial College London, recently spoke out expressing concern that low vaccination rates across the capital could prevent boroughs from achieving herd immunity.

Around 73% of adults have had both vaccine doses nationally, but "vaccine-induced herd immunity" is some way off in some London areas.

PA London

Current statistics show that at least two thirds of adults have had at least one coronavirus vaccine across London, but the figures vary greatly from borough to borough.

In Bromley, 80.4% of adults have had one dose and 68.9% have had two doses, leading the way for south London.

Bexley: First dose 79.8%, second dose 66.9%

Greenwich: First dose 68.5%, second dose 54.8%

Croydon: First dose 66.7%, second dose 53.3%

Kingston-upon-Thames: First dose 73.8%, second dose 62.7%

Lewisham: First dose 64.8%, second dose 50.7%

Merton: First dose 68.7%, second dose 56.7%

Richmond-upon-Thames: First dose 76.6%, second dose 66.9%

Southwark: First dose 63.2%, second dose 47.2%

Sutton: First dose 79.6%, second dose 66.4%

Wandsworth: first dose 65.8%, second dose 50.8%

Looking at the latest data from the Government's coronavirus dashboard, Covid-19 rates are in flux and cases remain high nearly month after Freedom Day.

Government's Covid-19 dashboard (cases in the UK)

The figures, for the seven days to August 8, are based on the number of people who have tested positive for Covid-19 in either a lab-reported or rapid lateral flow test, by specimen date.

The rate is expressed as the number of new cases per 100,000 people.

Deaths remain low across the UK - Government's Covid-19 dashboard

Wandsworth currently has the highest Covid-19 rate in south London, recording 357.6.

This is jump up from 292.7 recorded one week prior after 1,179 new cases were reported in the borough.

Lewisham has an infection rate of 319.4 (977 new cases), also on the rise from 283.2.

The next highest rate belongs to Croydon, 1,205 new virus cases causing the rate to rise from 263.0 to 311.6.

Merton's rate jumped from 247.9 to 308.9 after 638 new cases.

Southwark has an infection rate of 300.8, again rising from 289.2, with 959 new cases.

Sutton has a similar report, with te rate rising from 224.9 to 300.0 with 619 new cases.

Dartford's 296.6 has risen from 266.4 previously, with 334 new cases, whilst Greenwich has actually seen a fall in case rates from 278.5 to 266.0 (766 cases).

Richmond upon Thames also saw infections fall slightly from 249.0 to 243.4 (482 cases).

Bexley's case rate rose from 247.3 to 262.6 (652 cases), whilst neighbour Bromley recorded a small decline from 249.1 to 247.3 (822).

Of the 315 local areas in England, 225 (71%) have seen a week-on-week rise in rates, 87 (28%) have seen a fall and three are unchanged.

Lincoln continues to have the highest rate, with 588 new cases in the seven days to August 8 - the equivalent of 592.2 per 100,000 people.

This is down from 757.3 in the seven days to August 1.

Hull has the second highest rate, up from 543.2 to 587.8, with 1,527 new cases.

Exeter has the third highest rate, up slightly from 575.3 to 579.1, with 761 new cases.

The list has been calculated by the PA news agency based on Public Health England data published on August 12 on the Government's coronavirus dashboard.