Islington South and Finsbury MP Emily Thornberry has urged constituents to “look after themselves” after UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) data suggested the North London borough was a coronavirus hotspot, but the local council has pushed back on the claim, saying low testing volumes make the figures unreliable.
Data shows rising Covid cases across England
As temperatures decline, COVID-19 is once again on the rise in London and across England. UKHSA data shows the rate of positive test results has increased in recent weeks, with reported cases in England jumping from 1,374 in August to 4,589 in September.
In Islington, the majority (58.3 per cent) of PCR tests on October 9 came back positive, compared to a much lower London-wide average. The statistic prompted Thornberry to take to social media last week (Friday, October 16) urging constituents to be cautious.
Neighbouring boroughs also see high positivity rates
Data from the same week showed high levels of positive tests in neighbouring boroughs of Camden (35 per cent) and Barnet (27 per cent) compared to the rest of the capital. The London average for positive PCR results peaked at roughly 12 per cent in early October, but the latest data covering up to October 19 shows this level has dropped to just below 8 per cent.
Islington's rates have since fallen slightly and now sit behind Camden's 45 per cent positivity rate. However, the council claims that though confirmed positive test results are comparatively high, the reported levels are not a reliable indicator of the actual picture because the number of tests is limited.
Council says low testing volumes skew figures
The 58 per cent figure from the UKHSA refers to 31 cases recorded on October 9, meaning 18 people tested positive that day. By the week ending October 12, the proportion had fallen to 39 per cent: 11 positive PCR results from 28 tests.
Islington Council’s deputy leader and executive member for health, Cllr Ruth Hayes, said there had been “just under” 50 confirmed cases in the borough over the last month, adding that this was similar to the number of cases confirmed over the same period last year. She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): "UKHSA have recently reported an increase in COVID-19 circulating in the community across London and nationally. We have seen a similar position in Islington, with an increase in reported cases over the last few weeks compared with the spring and summer. We saw a similar pattern last year, with cases rising with the start of autumn."
Islington's Public Health department added that testing volumes are now very low, so week-to-week positivity rates can fluctuate significantly and should not be treated as a reliable estimate of borough-wide coronavirus prevalence.
Residents urged to follow hygiene advice and get vaccinated
Despite the caveats, the local authority has encouraged all Islington residents to get any vaccinations they are eligible for, and to take action to help stop the spread of viruses. Official advice is for residents to cover their nose and mouth with a disposable tissue every time they cough or sneeze. If a person does not have a tissue, they are advised to cough or sneeze into their elbow, rather than their bare hands.
“Keep your hands clean, wash your hands thoroughly with warm water and liquid soap regularly, or use an alcohol-based hand rub/sanitiser,” Cllr Hayes said.
The UKHSA's latest surveillance report from Thursday (October 22) shows that over 2 million people (34 per cent) in England aged 75 years or more had received their autumn booster jab, compared to the almost 225,000 (15 per cent) people under 75 with weakened immune systems.
London has the highest ICU admissions rate in England for COVID-19, but this remains relatively low. There is also no suggestion from current data that variants like Stratus are leading to more severe illness than other strains, the UKHSA said.
The UKHSA said on October 8 that positive PCR tests and hospital admissions were rising consistently across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as across Europe and the United States, indicating the spike was "not a localised trend". "As we move into winter, colder and wetter weather means people spend more time indoors, which enables the spread of respiratory viruses. It has also been roughly a year since the last significant COVID-19 wave, so immunity from vaccination and previous infection may be waning in parts of the population, making people more susceptible," the agency said.
