Updated figures showing the rate of new Covid-19 cases in each council or borough in England have been released, and show a continued rise in cases in three out of the four south east London boroughs.

Updates figures have revealed the rate of new Covid-19 cases in south east London are continuing to rise, whilst transmission rates are also growing slowly.

The reproduction number, the R number, in London currently sits at between minus 3% and plus 2%, which puts it at higher than the national average after rising slightly over the last week.

Rates of infection have also increased, with updated Public Health England showing a rise in the number of cases in three out of the four south east London boroughs.

The list is based on Public Health England figures updated on July 16 on the Government's coronavirus online dashboard, showing that Bexley currently has the highest rate of Covid-19 rates in south east London, whilst Lewisham and Dartford have also seen small spikes.

However, Covid-19 deaths are falling, and no coronavirus related deaths were recorded in London hospitals over the last 24 hours, according to figures released on Thursday.

Public Health England are now releasing rolling seven-day figures showing the rate of new cases of Covid-19 for each local authority in England.

The figures represent the rate of new cases in each area, based on coronavirus tests carried out in laboratories and in the wider community for the week ending July 13, and are expressed as the new number of new cases per 100,000 population,

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Bexley has once again reported the highest Covid-19 rate, recording 5.7 cases per 100,000 people.

This has steadily risen over the last two weeks from 3.2, then 4.9, to 5.3 on Tuesday and now up to 5.7.

Lewisham has seen a jump from 0.7 cases per 100,000 last week up to 3.6.

Bromley has also seen a small rise, recording 2.1 compared to 1.8 the week previous.

Greenwich was the only borough not to increase, actually holding steady at 2.8 cases per 100,000.

Just outside south east London, Dartford holds a more worrying Covid-19 rate of 16.4, rising from 12.8 last week, whilst Gravesham has recorded 12.2.

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Whilst Covid-19 cases appear to be rising slowly in the region, these figures do represent south east London's relatively low infection rate compared to the rest of the UK at the moment.

In Leicester, the rate is 99.7, actually a sizeable drop from it's previous 141.0, whilst Pendle recorded 65.6, Blackburn with Darwen 48.3, and Herefordshire 43.2.

Separately, the growth rate of coronavirus transmission in the UK have also grown slightly in the last week.

According to data released by the Government on Friday, July 17, the growth rate is now at minus 5% to minus 1%, compared with a rate of minus 5% to minus 2% per day, last week.

The R number remains at 0.7 to 0.9 across the UK.

The figures are published by the Government Office for Science and the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage).

The growth rate reflects how quickly the number of infections is changing day by day and, as the number of infections decreases, it is a way of keeping track of the virus.

If it is greater than zero, and therefore positive, then the disease will grow, and if the growth rate is less than zero, then the disease will shrink.

In London, the growth rate is between minus 3% and plus 2%, compared to between minus 5% and plus 1% last week.

The capital has an R value of 0.8-1.1.

In total, there have been 33,836 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in London, compared to 245,483 across the whole of England.

Bromley has recorded 1,512 total cases, Lewisham 1,189, Bexley 1,042 and Greenwich 945.

At the peak of the outbreak, London had 883 Covid-19 hospital admissions on a single day (March 29).