London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 04, 2025

1 in 35 Londoners had Covid-19 last week, government reveals, as capital registers highest rate of infection in UK

1 in 35 Londoners had Covid-19 last week, government reveals, as capital registers highest rate of infection in UK

Around 1 in 35 people in London tested positive for Covid-19 in the week ending January 16 – the highest rate of infection anywhere in the UK, according to new data from the government's Office of National Statistics (ONS).
The number is equal to 2.89 percent of all London residents, the ONS said in Friday's data release, although in some boroughs of the capital the infection rate was higher than five percent.

London has been hit particularly hard by a more infectious strain of coronavirus discovered in the south-east of England in November, which recently accounted for as many as six out of every 10 Covid-19 cases in the city, according to ONS data.

The most up-to-date ONS figures show that the percentage of people with "new variant compatible" positive test results has decreased in London, the south-east and east of England in the week ending January 16.

However, the NHS’ national medical director for England, Professor Stephen Powis, warned this week that London's healthcare system faced "severe pressure" from the UK variant, which he said had "really got hold" in the capital.

His colleague, the NHS England medical director for London, Dr Vin Diwakar, said the situation in hospitals is "precarious" due to the pressure of Covid-19, and that in London hospitals last week over 1,000 patients died.

On Thursday, the government unveiled new £800 fines for those who attend parties of more than 15 people, with sanctions doubling up to £6,400 for each repeat offence.

The clampdown on rule-breakers was outlined by the chair of the National Police Chiefs Council, Martin Hewitt, who offered several examples of recent parties that have likely contributed to the spread of the virus, including events in London.

On Thursday night, police in the capital raided a wedding attended by 400 guests in the north of the city, where the organiser was slapped with a £10,000 fine and five individuals were handed £200 fines.

Officers discovered that the windows of the venue, the Jewish Yesodey Hatorah Girls’ Senior School in Stamford Hill, had been covered in a bid to keep the bash secret.

The UK reported a further 37,892 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, as well as 1,290 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, taking the total number of people to have died from the virus within four weeks of diagnosis to almost 95,000.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
×