COVID-19 pandemic in London
The first case relating to the COVID-19 pandemic in London, England, was confirmed on 12 February 2020 in a woman who had recently arrived from China. By March 2020, there had been almost 500 confirmed cases in the city, and 23 deaths; a month later, the number of deaths had topped 4,000.
London was initially one of the worst affected regions of England. As of 16 February 2023, there have been 3,129,342 cases,[2] and 184,255 deaths of patients who tested positive for COVID-19 in London hospitals.[5] This underestimates the total deaths attributable to COVID-19; up to 1 May 2020, only 76% of deaths in London involving COVID-19 occurred in hospitals.[5] The city's poorest boroughs – Newham, Brent and Hackney – have been the hardest hit areas in terms of deaths per 100,000 population. Harrow and Brent had excess death rates over three times the national average.
Timeline[edit]
2020[edit]
The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in London was detected on 12 February 2020, in a woman who had arrived from China with the virus a few days earlier. She was the ninth known case in the UK.[7]
By 17 March 2020, there had been almost 500 confirmed cases in London and 23 deaths, and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced that, owing to the virus, the London Underground would begin running a reduced service.[8] A day earlier UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson had stated that London's outbreak was a few weeks ahead of the rest of the UK.[9] The city had seen the most cases of any UK region, with numbers rising much faster than elsewhere in the UK.[10]
ONS data showed the number of deaths (4,697) in London due to [with?] COVID-19 in the four weeks to 17 April . Of 3,275 London deaths registered in the week ending 17 April, the ONS said COVID-19 was mentioned on more than half of all death certificates.[11]
Initially, Southwark and Westminster were the worst affected boroughs.[12] By 18 April, the five worst affected boroughs were Brent (1,160 cases), Croydon (1,140), Barnet (1,055), Southwark (1,053) and Lambeth (998).[2] On 3 June, the five worst affected boroughs were Croydon (1,511), Brent (1,478), Barnet (1,299), Bromley (1,281), and Southwark (1,274).[2]
On 1 May, Office for National Statistics (ONS) data showed the death rates in London's poorest boroughs were the highest in the UK, with Newham – 144.3 deaths per 100,000 people – the highest, followed by Brent (141.5), and Hackney (127.4).[13][14]
By 18 June, Sixteen of the 20 British local authorities recording the highest excess death rates were in London. Harrow and Brent had excess death rates over three times the national average, at 64% and 63% respectively.[15]
On 25 September 2020, London was placed on the national coronavirus watchlist following a rise in cases.[16]
By 6 October, due in part to an upsurge in testing, London's infection rate was more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases a day, with 16 boroughs reporting more than 60 new cases per 100,000 people.[17] Two days later, 8 October 2020, the Evening Standard reported that in the week to 4 October 2020 the capital city had recorded 6,723 new COVID-19 infections, an infection rate increase of 58.2% on the previous week.[18]
A London COVID-19 Pandemic Memorial Garden was announced in late November; it will be planted near the London Olympic Stadium in the Borough of Newham. It will consist of three circles formed from 33 blossom trees.[19]
By December, COVID-19 cases in London had begun to rise again significantly following surges across parts of the UK,[20] and by the end of the month London emergency services were equivalently busy to the level during the previous Spring peak, with the NHS Nightingale temporary hospital on standby.[21][22] The alert level in the capital was elevated to "tier 4", with accompanying restrictions, over the course of the month, with these highest restrictions applying from 20 December following an announcement on the 19th.[23]
2021[edit]
On 8 January 2021, London Mayor Sadiq Khan declared the COVID-19 crisis in London a "major incident" with "out of control" spread, as infection rates for London were estimated to be around 1 in 30, with highs of 1 in 20 in some parts of the city.[24]
By 12 December 2021, the infectious Omicron variant of COVID-19 was beginning to spread in London, with a third of the capital's cases being attributed to the variant at this date.[25]
On 18 December 2021, another "major incident" was declared in London by the Mayor due to the rapid rise in Omicron variant cases, leading to the largest number of daily cases recorded for the city since the pandemic began at 26,000.[26]