Covid-19 Death Rate in Shepherd's Bush Soars
Infection rate remains stubbornly high in some neighbourhoods
Local death rate rises to levels last seen at the beginning of the pandemic
The latest official data shows that 18 more people died in the W12 area during January.
The Office of National Statistics figures reveal it was the worst month since the peak at the beginning of the pandemic.
The number of fatalities in the area is now 64 with the Old Oak & Wormwood neighbourhood most severely affected with 17 deaths 6 of which occurred during the latest month.
The White City area, having had no deaths since the beginning of the outbreak saw three fatalities.
The high death toll is a result of the spread of the more virulent strain of the virus which took hold in the area in December and early January but since then infection rates have generally fallen sharply.
A local GP said, “If anything this latest wave has been harder to take for families. In the cases I am familiar with the victims have tended to be a bit younger than during the first wave. The hope now would be that this is the worst of it. The infection rate is well down overall and the impact of the vaccine on the number of positive tests has not been fully felt.”
The number of cases has remain stubbornly high in some local neighbourhoods whereas others have seen the number of positive tests drop close to zero. Shepherd’s Bush North had an infection rate of 259.6 per 100,000 in the week to 24 February making it one of the worst affected areas in west London while in the adjacent Wormholt area the number of cases fell below the level at which the ONS reports them.
Hammersmith and Fulham currently has the 7th highest infection rate in London at 92 per 100,000 population.
| Covid-19 Infection Rates in week to 24 February | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Area | Number of cases | Change in week (%) | Infection rate per 100,000 | Deaths since March 2020 | Deaths in January 2021 |
| Shepherd's Bush North (MSOA Hammersmith and Fulham 004) |
18 |
157.1 |
251.9 |
3 |
2 |
Shepherd's Bush West |
11 |
57.1 |
160.0 |
5 |
1 |
Askew |
13 |
-7.1 |
158.8 |
10 |
2 |
| Old Oak & Wormwood (MSOA Hammersmith and Fulham 001) |
11 |
10.0 |
112.4 |
17 |
6 |
Shepherd's Bush South |
5 |
-28.6 |
77.4 |
7 |
2 |
Brook Green |
5 |
-28.6 |
63.1 |
5 |
0 |
White City |
4 |
-63.6 |
60.4 |
3 |
3 |
Wormholt Road |
- |
- |
- |
14 |
2 |
Source: ONS
Map of the area designations around Shepherd's Bush
The total number of Covid-19 cases identified in London is 694,187 as at 24 February, this compares to 3,639,352 cases for England as a whole
Up to and including 21 February 1,746,338 people in London had received the first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine and 66,471 had received two doses.
On 25 February the daily number of new people tested positive for COVID-19 in London was reported as 919.
Professor Kevin Fenton, London regional director for Public Health England reacting to the Prime Minister’s announcement of the roadmap for the relaxation of coronavirus restrictions said,
“There is no doubt it’s been a long, hard winter for everyone in London, but this week we can finally start to feel cautiously optimistic about the coming months.
“As the Prime Minister laid out the steps in his roadmap on Monday, we will all have heard it slightly differently. For many, there would have been anticipation as they started counting the days until they could see loved ones again. For others, who may have been juggling childcare with working from home, or just worried about the mental health of their children, there will have been relief at the news of schools re-opening. Of course, for others again there will be anxiety, doubts and worries – perhaps because they work in an industry that isn’t re-opening just yet or because they fear what easing lockdown will mean for COVID-19 rates across the city and country.
“All of these feelings are completely natural and to be expected. But however you feel, it is important to remember that what the Prime Minister has outlined is a careful, incremental approach to opening up different parts of society.”
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March 1, 2021