Covid-19: R Rate creeps up to 1.4 in London according to new study
A new study suggests the so-called R Rate for Covid-19 in the capital has crept up to 1.4.
An R Rate more than 1 means the number of those with the virus is growing.
The study, compiled by ZOE and the Covid Symptom Study app, suggests that the worst affected boroughs in London are Havering and Enfield.
Read more: How many Covid-19 cases are there in your borough?
Kingston upon Thames, Hounslow and Richmond are the least affected areas.
The ZOE study is based on around one million weekly reporters and more than 10,000 swab tests across the UK.
Tim Spector OBE, lead scientist on the ZOE COVID Symptom Study app and Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King’s College London, said that while the “new virus strain is being blamed for the recent surge in London and the South East… there’s still no hard evidence yet to support that it is acting differently.”
London and a number of areas in the south east have been plunged into an effective lockdown, with all but essential retail and takeaways closed.
On Sunday Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned that lockdown restrictions could last until the vaccine is rolled out more widely.
The Oxford / AstraZeneca jab is expected to be approved before the end of the year.