LONDON has been the hardest coronavirus hit area in the UK, with the capital suffering 26,113 cases to date.
However new research is showing that the lockdown is working in the city and that R is down to as little as 0.4 with only 24 new cases being reported each day.
How many coronavirus deaths have there been in London?
London recorded the first explosion of cases and was the early epicentre of the UK's outbreak, but is now doing better than the country as a whole, which currently has an "R" value of 0.75.
London has seen 26,113 cases to date and roughly 8,300 excess deaths that are believed to be coronavirus related between the end of March and May 1.
How has the daily infection rate changed in London?
London saw an estimated 200,000 new cases per day at the start of the lockdown in March, and was worse than Italy's epicentre at the time as deaths in the capital doubled every two days, but since then things have changed.
The City of London now has the lowest number of cases reported anywhere in the UK – on May 14 it was down to just 16 reported cases, but the infection rate still remains high due to population density.
Research by Public Health England and Cambridge University suggests that the capital's "R" reproduction rate has fallen to 0.4, down from around 2.8 before the lockdown.
London's 0.4 R score means that for every ten people who catch the virus, they pass it on to just four others between them, meaning the capital could be virus free in 2 weeks.
However, that figure has come under scrutiny by epidemiologists who believe it to be a little higher but still the lowest in the country.
Experts have also warned that Londoners should not get complacent and still need to socially distance and stay at home to keep the R rate going down.
Measures are now easing, as we are past the first peak, but scientists are warning that easing off too soon will result in another surge in cases as was seen in Germany.
Is London the worst affected city in the UK?
The capital has had about 13 per cent of the UK’s confirmed cases.
London is now believed to be one of the least affected city in the UK, though there are still hotspot areas, such as Barnet and Harrow.
The virus is now affecting the north of England the most, particularly in cities like Sheffield and Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
The Cambridge study suggests a drastic divide between the north and south of England as the northeast and Yorkshire record around 4,000 new infections daily, followed by the north west of England with around 2,380 new infections every day.
Around at third of Brits – 17.3million people – may already have been infected with coronavirus, experts say.
When did lockdown in London start?
After beginning with forcing the closure of all pubs, restaurants and leisure centres from Friday, March 20, the government stepped up efforts to slow the spread of the virus with a mass lockdown on Monday, March 23.
Since then we've all been locked indoors and only allowed to go for an hour's exercise and do a bit of grocery shopping when we absolutely have to.
Schools and workplaces have been closed and millions of Brits have been furloughed or lost their jobs.
Lockdown measures were eased a little this week to allow unlimited exercise and socially distanced activities as well as day trips and for some to go back to work.
New health and safety policies are also being implemented in workplaces.
Source: Read Full Article
