There were hundreds of new cases of Covid-19 confirmed in Merton in recent days according to the latest data published by Public Health England (PHE).

Statistics posted on the PHE website tracking coronavirus infections across the UK showed that the borough reported 459 new infections in the seven days to July 8.

That represented an increase of 97 or +26.8 per cent from the previous week's figure as the highly infectious Delta variant continued to spread nationwide.

Merton's case rate per 100,000 people stood at 222.2 over the period.

The news comes as health officials warn of dangers regarding the government's plans to lift almost all remaining restrictions related to controlling the spread of the virus.

PHE Chief Doctor Chris Whitty said on Monday (July 12) that cases of long Covid (where symptoms of the illness persist for weeks or months after the infected person tests positive) were likely to increase after July 19.

"Since there’s a lot of Covid at the moment and the rates are going up I regret to say I think we will get a significant amount more long Covid, particularly in the younger ages where the vaccination rates are currently much lower," he said.

"Fundamentally the two ways to prevent long Covid in my view are to keep Covid rates right down and make sure everyone is vaccinated so they get very mild disease and I think we really just need to push hell for leather for those two.

"The deaths from Covid I think are mercifully going to be much lower in this wave compared to the previous ones as a proportion of cases but long Covid remains, I think, a worry.

"We don’t know how big an issue it’s going to be but I think we should assume it’s not going to be trivial."

Chief Scientist Sir Patrick Vallance meanwhile told Monday's Downing Street news conference that a third wave of Covid infections in the UK would see more people being hospitalised with serious cases of the disease.

There was "no doubt" he said that the country was in a third wave of the virus and that this would lead to an increase in the number of hospital admissions.

"If behaviour returns immediately to pre-pandemic levels that will be a very, very big rise. If we go slowly and cautiously, it will be less of a rise," Vallance said.

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