Coronavirus: London has highest rates in England

In the capital, there were 191.8 cases per 100,000 people in the week to December 6. Credit: PA

London has the highest Covid-19 rate in England, according to the latest weekly surveillance report from Public Health England.

In the capital, there were 191.8 cases per 100,000 people in the week to December 6, up from 158.1 in the previous week.

Coronavirus rates are also rising in two other regions.



In Eastern England, the rate has risen from 116.2 to 147.2, while in the south-east, the rate has increased from 142.2 to 160.8.

All other regions of England recorded a week-on-week fall.

South-west England had the lowest rate: 77.3 cases per 100,000 people, down from 91.2.

Skaters wearing face masks on the new Coventry Glides Ice skating rink.

A total of 96,415 people tested positive for Covid-19 in England at least once in the week to December 2, according to the latest Test and Trace figures.

This is down 13% on the previous week and is the lowest total since the week ending October 7.

A total of 64.9% of people who were tested for Covid-19 in England in the week ending December 2 at a regional site, local site or mobile testing unit – a so-called “in-person” test – received their result within 24 hours.

This is up from 54.2% in the previous week, and is the highest proportion since the week to August 5.

The Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine is being administered in hospitals in the UK. Credit: PA

Prime Minister Boris Johnson had pledged that, by the end of June, the results of all in-person tests would be back within 24 hours.

He told the House of Commons on June 3 that he would get “all tests turned around within 24 hours by the end of June, except for difficulties with postal tests or insuperable problems like that”.

Of the 91,578 people transferred to the Test and Trace system in the week to December 2, 86.0% were reached and asked to provide details of recent close contacts.

This is broadly unchanged on 86.1% in the previous week.

Some 12.2% of people transferred to Test and Trace in the week to December 2 were not reached, while a further 1.8% did not provide any communication details.