By: Hadia Bakkar, Valentina Colo, Sammy Gecsoyler, Lee Urquhart, Chris Wilson

Covid-19 cases and resulting hospitalisations have been steadily falling in Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Lewisham and Croydon, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) data.

Hackney still has the lowest vaccination rate of EastLondonLines (ELL) boroughs. However, Lewisham, Croydon and Tower Hamlets are all also significantly below the country’s national average of 90 per cent vaccination rate for first dose, and 83.3 per cent for the second dose.

All the boroughs have seen a small uptake in booster jabs since December 15 but remain below the national average of 63 per cent.

As of today, January 17, those with Covid-19 can end their self-isolation after 5 days if their day 5 and 6 Covid-19 tests come back negative.

Read below for more detailed updates on each of the boroughs.

Hackney continues to be the ELL borough with the lowest vaccination rate, with 63 per cent of people vaccinated with one dose and 57 per cent having received their second dose. Only 35 per cent of adults aged 12 and over have now received their booster across Hackney and the City of London.

People aged 18-24 are the least likely to have received a Covid vaccination in the borough.

Hackney Council will host free pop-up vaccination events throughout January, every Friday outside Liverpool Street Station and every Sunday at the Spring Hill Practice in Stamford Hill. No IDs or NHS numbers are required.

Residents are still able to receive their vaccine at ten local pharmacies and three vaccination centres across the borough.

New Covid cases in Hackney and the City of London have been falling since mid-December. On January 16, a total of 313 new people tested positive. This is a 340% drop since December 15.

In the week ending on January 12, there were 2,515 positive cases in the borough. This was a 38% drop since the previous week. Hospitalisations are also decreasing by 30 per cent compared to the previous 7 days.

Since January, PCR tests positive rates have also been falling, with a 26 per cent ratio registered on the week ending January 6. Latest data shows that the vast majority of people with Covid are aged 59 or less.

Croydon remains the top performing ELL borough for vaccination rates, with 68.9 per cent of residents having received their first dose and 62.7 per cent receiving their second. As of January 14, 41.5 per cent of Croydon residents had received their booster dose.  

Vaccination centres accepting walk-in appointments for over 18s in the borough are Aumex Pharmacy, Mayday Community Pharmacy, Fairview Medical Centre, Parchmore Medical Centre, Impact House and Bids Chemist.

Centrale (Upper Mall), Valley Park Surgery and West Wickham and Shirley Baptist Church are offering walk-in vaccinations for those aged 12 and over.

Addington Medical Practice, Croydon University Hospital, St Aidan’s Church Hall and Woodside Health Centre are currently offering vaccinations by appointment only.

Croydon Health Services NHS Trust said on Twitter: “Join the 30 million who have already been boosted. Every adult in the country now needs to get a COVID-19 booster vaccine as it’s the best way to protect yourself against the Omicron variant”.

Covid cases in Croydon have decreased by 46 per cent compared to last week, with 3,530 cases reported for the borough between January 10 and January 16, according to government data.

Between January 3 and January 9 there was a 20 per cent decrease in patients going to hospital with Covid-19 in Croydon, with numbers dropping to just 70. There were 143 patients in hospital with Covid-19 on January 11, with only 4 of those patients needing the assistance of a medical ventilator.

Between January 10 and January 16, there have been 7 deaths withing 28 days of a positive Covid test, which is a 30 per cent decrease when compared to the last 7 days.

The vaccination rate for Lewisham remains below the national average, with only 67.7 per cent of residents aged 12 and over having received their first shot and 61.8 per cent receiving their second shot as of January 15.

41 per cent of Lewisham resident have received their booster jabs, significantly lower than the national average.

Lewisham council has been active in encouraging people to get the vaccine, adding that people can “walk-in to sites right across Lewisham, with no need to show “ID proof of address, immigration status or NHS number”.

According to the council, there are 10 walk-in vaccination sites across the borough, a list of which can be found here.

The situation in Lewisham has improved since before Christmas, with lower case numbers and less of a scramble for booster doses. Cases have been falling in the borough since the New Year, with a 41.1 per cent decrease in positive tests reported between January 10 and January 16.

Government data shows that 2,667 people had a confirmed positive test result between these dates, with 282 positive tests yesterday. There was one death reported yesterday.

Even with cases decreasing, there has been a 20 per cent increase in deaths reported last week, with 12 deaths reported between January 10 and January 16.

Hospitalisations have seen a 24.6 percent decrease between January 3 and January 9. As of January 11, there are 215 patients in hospital with covid in Lewisham, and 7 patients using mechanical ventilators.

Tower Hamlets continues to have one of the lowest vaccination rates in the UK. As of January 15, data published by the UKHSA shows that 66.8 per cent of residents had their first vaccine dose and 59.4 per cent had their second. Booster uptake has seen a steady increase from this time last month. 33.8 per cent of residents had received their third dose by January 15, compared to 16.7 per cent on December 15.

The council have directed residents to various vaccination sites. They have also started operating a vaccination bus which moves around the borough and provides on the spot vaccinations. The council has set up the vaccination bus scheme to target hard to reach communities. Details of vaccination site in Tower Hamlets are listed here.

As for Covid-19 cases, they continue to fall, according to the government agency. 3,208 people tested positive for Covid-19 between 10 January and 16 January, a 39 per cent decrease from the previous 7 days.

Data reported by Barts Health NHS Trust, which runs Mile End Hospital and Royal London Hospital in Tower Hamlets, shows hospitalisations decreasing across their five sites. Between 3 January and 9 January, the number of hospitalisations stood at 311, a 10.9 per cent decrease from the previous week. 35 coronavirus patients were being supported by a ventilator as of 11 January.

Six people died with Covid-19 between 10 January and 16 January, compared to 8 deaths the week prior.