Coronavirus cases remain very high in Hackney. Hackney currently has an infection rate of 183 per 100,000 residents, with the highest number of infections in Stamford Hill West (571 per 100,000), Cazenove (445 per 100,000) and Springfield (403 per 100,000). To put that into context, the infection rates in those three wards are as high as some areas of the country that are in the tier three alert level, such as Wigan (608 per 100,000) or Liverpool (500 per 100,000).

Because of this high rate of infection, elderly people over 65 are now getting infected at a higher rate than before. This is very concerning as this group is most at risk of serious illness  requiring hospitalisation from this infection or even death from the virus. 

Coronavirus can kill or cause serious illness. We are still learning about the virus and there’s a lot we don’t yet know, but we do know that it is not weaker than before, it is still dangerous and is highly contagious. The virus can infect anyone, of any age, with or without any underlying conditions and reports of ‘long covid’ show us that even in young and healthy people the virus can cause debilitating fatigue and other symptoms for many months. Little  is understood about its long term effects.

Reports this week suggest that people who were previously infected with coronavirus, could be at risk of re-infection, as immunity seems to only last for a few months. We don’t know yet whether a second (or even third) bout of infection would be milder or more severe than the first, but it would be best not to find out the hard way.

It’s more important than ever that we make some sacrifices now, for the greater good of our community's health, such as making sure only 15 people attend your wedding or that you don’t have people from other households visiting your home. It’s only by keeping our number of contacts low that we reduce the risk of catching or spreading the virus.

I know it is difficult, and after seven months people are feeling tired, but we must all pull together as winter starts, to protect our community from harm. There are simple things you can do to reduce infection and this will help save lives. 

Remember:


Hands: Keep washing your hands regularly or using hand sanitizer
Face: Cover your face, wear a face covering in enclosed spaces
Space: Stay at least two metres apart - or at least one metre with a face covering or other precautions


Follow the London-wide Tier 2 restrictions, by only meeting with your own household or support bubble indoors and up to 5 other people outdoors. And if you have symptoms of coronavirus such as a fever, a new continuous cough or change to your sense of smell or taste, self isolate immediately for 10 days and book a test by calling 119, using the NHS COVID-19 app, or going to nhs.uk/coronavirus.

Hackney has already suffered too many tragic losses this year, and together we must act to prevent more.