1,296 further coronavirus cases and two more deaths recorded in Merton

The number of coronavirus cases in Merton increased by 1,296 over the weekend, official figures show – and two more deaths were recorded.

A total of 48,454 people had been confirmed as testing positive for Covid-19 in Merton when the UK coronavirus daily dashboard was updated on January 10 (Monday), up from 47,158 on Friday.

The rate of infection in Merton now stands at 23,470 cases per 100,000 people, higher than the England average of 21,875.

Across the UK, the number of recorded cases increased by 424,086 over the period, to 14,617,314.

There were also two more coronavirus deaths recorded over the weekend in Merton.

The dashboard shows 447 people had died in the area by January 10 (Monday) – up from 445 on Friday.

It means there have been three deaths in the past week, which is the same as the previous week.

They were among 17,753 deaths recorded across London.

The figures include anyone who died within 28 days of a positive test result for Covid-19, and whose usual residence was in Merton.

Daily death counts are revised each day, with each case backdated to the actual date of death.

Figures reported on a Monday are likely to be lower as a result of a lag in reporting deaths over the weekend.

The figures also show that nearly two-thirds of people in Merton have received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine.

The latest figures show 145,546 people had received both jabs by January 9 (Sunday) – 65% of those aged 12 and over, based on the number of people on the National Immunisation Management Service database.

Across England, 83% of people aged 12 and above had received a second dose of the jab.

Unlike at local level, the national rate was calculated using mid-2020 population estimates from the Office for National Statistics.