Coronavirus infection rates are on a downward trend in Havering.

North Ockendon, with the current highest seven-day rolling rate of 613.6 per 100,00 people is 14 cases down from the week before (-16.5 per cent the week ending January 22). according to figures from Public Health England.

At the moment, this is still nearly double the national average of 358.7.

Most wards in Havering now have rolling rates between 200 and 399, which is the second highest category.

Harold Wood and Harold Park and Upminster North and Cranham West were the only two wards to have an increase in positive tests, and that was just two cases more in each ward.

The most improved ward was Rush Green which currently has 55 positives - down 79 from the week ending January 22 (59pc). Havering now is far from having the highest infection rate in London, ranking 20th out of the 32 boroughs.

The ward with the fewest cases is Upminster South and Corbets Tey with 20 people testing positive, down 14 cases (41pc), with a rate of 257.8.

On Wednesday, January 27 the daily number of new people tested positive in London was reported as 4,076 with a total of 636,811 positives as of January 26.

This compares to a figure of 3,248,215 cases for England as a whole and is the most recent week of complete data, (January 16 to January 22).

In London, 44,365 cases were identified, a rate of 495 per 100,000 people. This compares with 63,625 cases and a rate of 710 for the previous week.

For the same week, 217,579 cases were identified in England as a whole, a rate of 387 cases per 100,000 population. This compares with 281,014 cases and a rate of 499 for the previous week.

Why the drop?

On December 19, London was placed under Tier 4 restrictions. On January 6, England entered a new national lockdown.

The virus typically takes more than a week to incubate and cause symptoms, prompting people to get tested – so the falling infection rate from January 6 would indicate a reduction in transmission between one and two weeks earlier, during Tier 4 restrictions.