A hospital hit hard in the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic said “very few” people were now being treated in intensive care. 

This is despite the number of cases of the virus continuing to rise across the capital. Health bosses have warned people not to be complacent following the easing of restrictions. 

Simon Crawford, deputy chief executive of the London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, told a Harrow Council health board things were looking a lot more positive at Northwick Park Hospital. 

He explained that “very few people are in critical care” at the hospital with Covid, while it is regularly treating just dozens of patients for the virus. 

Mr Crawford said this has been supported by the local response to the booster vaccination programme, with 47 per cent of eligible people in Harrow taking it up.

He told the council there were currently “around 60 patients” at Northwick Park being treated for Covid. 

While this is considered to be a relatively low figure, it is more than “the 30 or 40” it had on its wards earlier in the month – a trend in keeping with the wider situation in North West London. 

According to government data, 1,679 people tested positive for Covid in Harrow between March 15 and March 21, which was a 24 per cent increase from the previous week. 

In neighbouring Brent, 1,528 people tested positive between these dates, an increase of almost 20 per cent when compared to the previous seven days. 

Mr Crawford added Northwick Park Hospital has installed extra beds to deal with Covid patients if things took a turn for the worse and it is “constantly monitoring” the situation.

Carole Furlong, director of public health at Harrow Council, acknowledged there were far fewer Covid-19 cases in the region when compared to a few months ago. 

But with cases on the rise, she encouraged everyone to continue to wash their hands regularly, keep rooms well ventilated and follow the ‘hands, face, space’ mantra where appropriate. 

She reminded people it was “never too late to get vaccinated” and urged those who do test positive for Covid to take the relevant precautions to stop it spreading further.