450 further coronavirus cases and two more deaths recorded in Richmond

The number of coronavirus cases in Richmond increased by 450 over the weekend which followed the end of free testing in England, official figures show – and two more deaths were recorded.

The withdrawal of free tests for most people in the country on April 1 means the figures are not an accurate reflection of the number of people with Covid.

A total of 64,397 cases had been confirmed in Richmond when the UK coronavirus daily dashboard was updated on April 4 (Monday), up from 63,947 on Friday.

The cumulative rate of infection in Richmond, which covers the whole pandemic, stands at 32,501 cases per 100,000 people, higher than the England average of 31,806.

In England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, if one person tests positive for the virus more than 90 days after the first infection, two infection episodes will be recorded, according to the UK Health Security Agency.

Across the UK, the number of recorded cases increased by 142,807 over the last 24 hours, to 21,359,681.

England’s change in testing requirements means the reported number of coronavirus cases in the UK is also likely to be an underestimate.

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

The dashboard shows 354 people had died in the area by April 4 (Monday) – up from 352 on Friday.

It means there has been one death in the past week, which is the same as the previous week.

They were among 19,188 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 Richmond.

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 Richmond have received a booster dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

The latest figures show 121,479 people had received a booster or third dose by April 3 (Sunday) – 62% of those aged 12 and over, based on the number of people on the National Immunisation Management Service database.

A total of 148,248 people (76%) had received two jabs by that date.

Across England, 67% of people aged 12 and above had received a booster.

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