Covid Rates in W4 Remain High But 'May Have Peaked'

Over 300 people infected in Chiswick in latest week

Reduced availability of testing may mean numbers are understated

Covid-19 infection rates remain high in Chiswick and above both the borough and national average in some neighbourhoods.

According to the most recent figures, for the week to 3 April over 300 people tested positive in the W4 post code area.

The highest incidence occurred in the area designated by the Office of National Statistic (ONS) as Chiswick North West which corresponds roughly to the Acton Green neighbourhood. This had an infection rate of 792.5 per 100,000 people.

Infection rates across Chiswick did reach 1% (1,000 per 100,000) the previous week but have fallen significantly since then although are still higher than rates prevailing when previous lockdowns occurred. It is widely hoped that the Omicron strain may be close to running its course.

A local GP said, “It looks like infections may have peaked about a week ago. I believe at this point that the disease could have been at its most prevalent ever. The numbers are still very high and are probably understated because of the withdrawal of free tests. However, because Omicron was a milder strain and most people were vaccinated and boosted, this has not led to the level of hospitalisations seen previously. The main problem for the health services at the moment is staff absences, though that too looks as though it is easing.

“The advice remains as before. Studies from all over the world are confirming that, although Omicron may be mild, unvaccinated people are much more likely to develop severe respiratory problems if they are infected. Wear a mask at least in crowded interior spaces.”

The infection rate in the borough of Hounslow is currently just below the London average at 466 whilst Ealing is above at 504.

In the week to 3 April, 44,107 new cases were identified in London, a rate of 490 cases per 100,000 population. This compares with 59,822 cases and a rate of 664 for the previous week. The corresponding numbers for the whole of England in the latest week were 360,742 new cases, a rate of 638 cases per 100,000 population down from 862 the previous week.

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

The latest data on the number of people in hospital in London with Covid-19 suggests that a peak has been reached with a slight fall since the beginning of April. The number of Covid-19 patients is currently in the 2400-2500 range having been close to 1500 at the beginning of March. The peak of Covid-19 admissions was reached in January of last year at 7747.

Despite the rise in hospitalisations, the number of patients on mechanical ventilator beds in London has not increased significantly and has remained at around 100 over the last few months having been more than double that this January and over 1,000 during previous peaks in infections.

Up to and including 7 April 6,451,403 people in London had received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 6,002,436 had received two doses with 4,289,093 people receiving either a third vaccine dose or a booster dose.

April 10, 2022