By Meghan Goodwin and Timea Soltez
Exactly 108 new COVID cases have been reported in the Lower Holloway area, a 5% increase over the previous week.
Government statistics show that 709 per 100,000 people are now infected the area. The number of people who tested positive in the last seven days in Islington as a whole was 1,782, a 2.8% increase.
Despite the rise in the number of cases in the borough, Whittington Hospital has not suffered an impact from the increase and has not seen a significant growth in the number of admissions.
Although cases are on the rise, people seem relaxed about the virus. Dan Hewitt, a student at London Metropolitan University, said: “I didn’t know there was a new variant, I’m not that concerned anymore, and I don’t even wear a mask.”
Pandemic Not Over
According to GOV.UK, 47. 3 percent of all eligible people in the Holloway Nag’s Head area had been triple vaccinated as of yesterday, while 59.5 of those eligible had received a second dose. Another 63.8 percent had only received one dose of the vaccine, it said.
Last month, an academic from Imperial College slammed the government’s Living With Covid plan, which puts an end to all restrictions, including the mandatory wearing of face masks in public area and compulsory self-isolation for those who test positive for the virus.
“No, it’s certainly not over… I think none of us like these restrictions, myself included, and I’m not a great fan of legally enforced restrictions. I think people need to know what it is they can do to protect themselves and protect others,” Professor Peter Openshaw told BBC Newsnight.
“What’s most important is that [people] don’t get the message that it’s over and we can all throw away our masks and start behaving as if COVID doesn’t exist.”
“I feel safe”
Another student, Nicky Detain, said: “I’m not that worried about the rise in cases because I’ve been triple jabbed and I feel safe.”
But a lecturer at London Met, who declined to be identified, said that people should be worried. The lecturer tested positive for Covid on Tuesday.
“I have a mild case but that doesn’t mean that I cannot pass the virus on to someone who might be immuno-compromised and thus seriously affected,” they said, adding that they were staying at home until they tested negative two days in a row.
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