Yahoo Finance Grab a jab plea as Covid cases hit 4-month high in London
Londoners were on Thursday urged to “grab-a-jab” as Covid-19 cases in the capital hit a four-month high.
Professor Kevin Fenton, the city’s public health chief, issued the appeal after 1,609 confirmed infections were announced on Wednesday, the highest since February 12 when London was coming out of the devastating second wave.
The London Director for Public Health England said: “We are in the middle of a summer sprint to get as many people as possible vaccinated by July 19 and we need everyone in London to join the race.
“With every vaccine taken we are one step closer to the finish line, so it is vital everyone comes forward for their first and second doses to protect themselves, their families and their friends.”
As the Delta variant fuels another surge in infections across the country, he added: “Case rates are continuing to increase across the city so we must act quickly. I would urge everyone to grab-a-jab today so we can keep London safe as we look to move out of this pandemic.”
The UK saw 16,135 cases on Wednesday, a significant increase from recent days, which will raise concerns that the latest surge may not be under control.
The biggest rises were in the North West 3,620 and Scotland 2,969 — but also 1,118 in the South-East.
Confirmed cases are often higher on a Wednesday as more people tend to get tested on a Monday or Tuesday rather than during the weekend.
Lambeth has the highest seven-day rate with 137.4 confirmed infections per 100,000 in the week to June 18, with seven other boroughs over 100: Wandsworth, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Camden, Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, and Merton.
The link between infections and hospitalisations and deaths has been largely broken in Britain after the world-leading vaccination roll-out.
There were 280 coronavirus patients in London’s hospitals, as of Wednesday, slightly lower than in previous days, including 61 so ill that they are on ventilators. Three more deaths were announced in the capital, within 28 days of the individuals testing positive for the virus.
The latest data shows London is slipping further behind the Prime Minister’s national target of offering a jab to all over 18s, and double jabbing two-thirds of adults, by July 19.
London has been behind the rest of the UK in people who are fully vaccinated, new NHS England figures revealed on Thursday.
By contrast, London’s estimated double jab rate is at 83.1% for over-50s but other regions are above 90%.
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