Just six patients with coronavirus at Croydon Hospital – in stark contrast with height of pandemic

By Tara O’Connor, Local Democracy Reporter

There are currently thought to be six coronavirus patients receiving treatment at Croydon University Hospital, and none are in intensive care.

As cases increase across London, the rates in Croydon are still low.

It’s a contrast to the height of the pandemic, which saw the borough as one of the hardest hit places in the capital, with 300 deaths of Covid-19 patients recorded up to June 20.

There was one further death of a patient who tested positive for the virus on September 17.

Croydon council leader Tony Newman said he attends regular briefings with the health trust and council on the latest responses to the pandemic.

He said: “What we know at the moment is that as of a couple of days ago six people were in hospital and nobody at that point was in intensive care.

“At the moment it is a different picture than it was (at the height of the pandemic) but everyone is remaining very focussed on the risk of it coming back.”

Croydon is London’s second most populated borough and there have been a total of 2,294 positive coronavirus tests which is a cumulative rate of 593 per 100,000.

This compares to a rate of 705 per 100,000 in London’s most populous borough Brent.

In neighbouring boroughs, the rate of tests per 100,000 is 591 in Sutton and 566 in Bromley.

While cases remain low, the rate of new cases per week is slowly rising.

Pictured top: Croydon University Hospital