Mediterranean Observer
No deaths have been reported in London due to Covid-19 for the first time in six months, official figures show.
Public Health England (PHE) figures for 28 March showed no deaths had been registered of patients within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test.
At the height of the crisis last April, about 230 deaths a day linked to the virus were recorded in London.
“This is a fantastic milestone, but we’re a long way from returning to normal,” one doctor said.
It is the first time the daily Covid figures have shown zero deaths in the capital since September.
London accounts for 12% of all coronavirus deaths in the UK, and was the epicentre of the first wave of the pandemic last year.
At that time, University College Hospital had “two or three patients dying every couple of days”, intensive care doctor Jim Down said.
“We’re down to about seven Covid-19 patients on the intensive care unit and we’re expecting them to get better.
“It’s a wonderful feeling but it sets up new challenges.
“The backlog for people needing hip replacements and cancer treatment is vast. You need to bring start bringing them back in but keep the hospitals ready in case of a third wave.”
Dr Down, who is the author of Life Support, which chronicles his experiences on the front line, said many of his colleagues had been “ground down” by the pandemic.
Two households or groups of up to six people are now able to meet outside again as a result of the easing of restrictions on 29 March.
Outdoor sport facilities, including tennis courts, swimming pools and golf courses are reopening, and organised outdoor sports can also resume.
Since the start of the pandemic, 708,000 people have tested positive for coronavirus in London, 15,000 of whom died within 28 days of doing so.
In total, there have been 18,000 deaths in London hospitals with Covid-19 was listed on the death certificate.
