Two people hospitalised despite being double-jabbed during recent rise in local Covid cases

Islington’s public health director Jonathan O’Sullivan. Photograph: @CNWLNHS / Twitter

Two people have been treated in hospital despite being double-jabbed as Covid cases in Islington have increased.

Some of the recent infections could be tracked around the Euro 2020 football matches, according to the borough’s director of public health.

Jonathan O’Sullivan explained that the number of cases picked up this summer and whilst London hospitals have seen few deaths, more people are testing positive than in the spring.

He revealed that last week staff at the Whittington Hospital in Archway treated two patients who had coronavirus despite having had their second vaccination.

O’Sullivan said: “It does show you that even people doing their bit to stay safe and protect others can be affected.”

He added: “We are beginning to see some of the impact of increasing cases into hospital.”

According to the latest figures, the borough had just over 1,200 cases –  up very sharply from mid-April and mid-May when there were 25 to 45 cases each week.

O’Sullivan said there has been “very large increases in cases” in people aged 25-29, those in their thirties and in secondary schools.

During the first wave, cases were higher in older age groups.

The most recent data saw 25 to 35 cases in the over-60s, compared with six to ten cases in mid-April.

The public health director went on: “It is increasing. You can’t have that level of community infection without it having an effect on different age groups.”

He told the council’s health scrutiny meeting (26 July): “With more mixing going on indoors, with things mixing up we will see  cases increases to the middle of August before going back down.”

He added  the numbers rose as the rules relaxed.

“Let’s be frank, the Euros and with indoor mixing contributed to the rise,” he said. “I could see data on daily basis where I  could track the matches.”

But cases have dropped since then.

“We are seeing on a daily basis the numbers have gone down, but they will remain high,” O’Sullivan added.

The Whittington Hospital’s chief nurse Michelle Johnson said: “We’ve got a  rising rate of admission but on a more positive note we’ve got rising rates of discharge.”

She said seven Covid patients were discharged on Monday (26 July).

She explained that patients with Covid were younger than those in the first wave, before a vaccine was available, and than those in the second wave, when the immunisation programme had not reached younger age groups.