Coronavirus infection rates fall across the capital, with Camden falling the most. Credit: AP Photo/Matt Dunham.

Coronavirus infection rates fell more sharply in London last week than anywhere else in England, according to government statistics released today.

The London borough of Haringey experienced the biggest drop (47.6%) in new infections in the week of 6 February, with a seven-day rate of 144.8 per 100,000 population. The boroughs in north London saw similar rates of decline, with confirmed cases dropping by 42% in Enfield – to a rate of 174.1 per 100,000 – and in Islington by 42.4% a rate of 124.6 per 100,000.

Many of the largest decreases are in inner-city boroughs that were hardest hit by the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic in the UK.

Camden has the lowest rate in London, at 104.8 per 100,000, after a fall of 37.4%. The borough is close to going below the 100 rate level which public health officials want the capital as a whole to be under before lockdown restrictions begin to ease.

Despite these falls in infection rates, hospitals across the capital still remain under immense pressure with thousands of COVID-19 patients. The NHS may feel the effects of the pandemic long after the lockdown as many hospitals continue to postpone non-urgent operations and other routine procedures.

New data from the Office for National Statistics shows a drop in infections and currently places the R value between 0.7 and 0.9. The data shows  that around one in 80 people in private households in England had Covid-19 between January 31 and February 6, the equivalent of 695,400 people.

This news will be welcomed by the government as it signals that current lockdown restrictions are helping in slowing the spread the virus ahead of the roadmap that will be revealed by the Prime Minister in 10 days’ time.