Number of covid patients at Harrogate hospital falls to two

The number of covid patients at Harrogate District Hospital has fallen to two, despite a sharp rise in infections in the district.

In a sign that the vaccination programme is working, Amanda Bloor, accountable officer for NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group told North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum today there are now fewer covid patients at the hospital than last week, when there were three.

The number of cases of the Delta variant in the Harrogate district has nearly quadrupled in the last two weeks. The district’s seven-day rate of infection is now 155 per 100,000, just below the England average of 159.

Despite the steep rise, the hospital has not faced the same pressures as in previous waves. At the peak in February, there were 68 covid patients at Harrogate hospital.

According to the latest NHS England figures, the hospital’s last covid-related death was reported on April 11.

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Ms Bloor also said today that Ripon racecourse vaccination site, which opened in February, is due to close in August.

The closure of the Great Yorkshire Showground vaccination centre in Harrogate this month has seen many people travel to Leeds, York or Bradford for jabs, although there are pharmacy sites in Knaresborough and Pateley Bridge.

Ms Bloor said pop-up vaccination sites could open in the district this year.

She said:

“We want to be able to flex the programme as sites and vaccines allow.”

Health boss denies GP surgeries are not offering face-to-face appointments

A North Yorkshire health boss has denied reports that GP surgeries are closed and not offering face-to-face appointments saying the claims are a “myth”.

Amanda Bloor, accountable officer at NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, told a meeting of the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum this morning that more than 235,000 face-to-face appointments had been held across the county and York in March.

In North Yorkshire alone in March, the most recent month for which there is complete data, 134,766 face-to-face consultations had taken place.

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Mrs Bloor said that there had been national media coverage suggesting that GP practices were closed and she wanted to “dispel this myth”.

She added:

“I am aware that over the last few weeks there has been an increasing perception that GP practices across North Yorkshire and York are closed and not delivering face-to-face appointments for patients and there has been national media coverage in relation to this too.

“I just want to stress that our GP practices across North Yorkshire and York are open, they are seeing patients face-to-face and they have been open throughout the course of the pandemic.

“It is fair to say that services have been provided differently and that has been about protecting patients and staff, particularly through the time of the pandemic, to make sure that we kept people safe.

“But what I don’t want and what the wider NHS does not want is any misconceptions getting in the way of people coming forward, accessing services at their GP practice when they have got health care needs in the full confidence that they will get clinically appropriate personalised care.”

Mrs Bloor said that in March there were 387,000 appointments held in North Yorkshire and York, the most of any month in the last two years with more than 60% of the appointments taking place face-to-face.

The total number of appointments offered for March was 55,000 higher than the same month last year as demand for routine appointments has surpassed pre-covid levels.

Mrs Bloor added that people could expect longer waiting times for in person appointments due to the need to clean waiting rooms at GP surgeries regularly and that, for some people, telephone or online appointments would be the most appropriate way to have a consultation.

She said:

“So just to really reinforce that primary care is open for business and seeing patients, and if anyone is concerned, they can access services in their practice.

“The blended approach to a mixture of face-to-face, and telephone appointments does support our clinical colleagues to make sure that they can reach out to as many people as possible in line with the guidance and to protect the safety of patients and staff.”

North Yorkshire health chief: Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is safe

A senior NHS official in North Yorkshire today insisted “safety is the number one priority” in the coronavirus vaccine rollout after some European countries paused the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab amid concerns over blood clots.

Amanda Bloor, accountable officer of NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said while some patients may be feeling uneasy about receiving the jab, regulators had been “absolutely clear” that it is safe as she urged everyone to take up the opportunity as soon as it arises.

Her bid to reassure the public comes after Germany, France, Italy and Spain joined the list of countries to suspend use of the vaccine while they seek further clarification on its safety.

Speaking at a meeting of the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum today, Ms Bloor said:

“We understand that this action may be concerning for some people around the safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine but I want to reassure you safety is the number one priority for the NHS.

“The phenomenon of blood clots can occur naturally – they are not an uncommon thing.

“Over 12 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine have now been given across England and the number of blood clots that have been reported after having had the vaccine is not greater than the number that would have occurred naturally.”

The European Medicines Agency previously said there was “no indication” that the jab causes blood clots and is expected to release the final findings of an investigation on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the UK’s medicines watchdog, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, has also said that evidence “does not suggest” the jab causes clots.

Ms Bloor added:

“Given this, the NHS will continue to offer the AstraZeneca vaccine and we would urge people to come forward when invited.

“This will give us the greatest chance of keeping the cases of covid at bay within communities and hospitals, and also allowing us to progress along those timings that have been outlined in our roadmap.”

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It was also announced today that more than 188,000 people in North Yorkshire have now received their first coronavirus jab and 13,000 their second.

More than 50,000 of those have been delivered at Harrogate’s mass vaccinations centre at the Great Yorkshire Showground.

Those who are currently being called up for their vaccine include over 50s and those with underlying health conditions between 16 and 60-years-old.

Ms Bloor said the “fantastic” progress in working through the age groups meant North Yorkshire remained on track to meet the government’s target of vaccinating all over 50s by 15 April and every other adult by 31 July.

It comes as the number of people with covid in North Yorkshire’s hospitals has continued to fall with a drop from 129 last week to 96 today. Twenty three of those patients are in intensive care.

In the county’s main hospitals there are currently 13 patients in Harrogate, 25 in York and three in Scarborough.

The weekly rate of coronavirus infections is also continuing on a downward trend with the figure for North Yorkshire standing at 46 cases per 100,000 people and Harrogate 38.

These are both below the national average of 58.

Harrogate district on track to achieve February 15 vaccine deadline

Health leaders in North Yorkshire said today they were confident of having enough covid vaccine to inoculate all four top priority groups by February 15.

Concerns have been raised about the supply of vaccine to the region, with some reports saying it may be reduced to let other parts of the country catch up.

But officials at North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group said they have been assured by government supply will be in place to meet next month’s target for the most vulnerable groups.

The four priority groups include residents and staff in care homes, over 80s and frontline health workers, over 75s, over 70s and the clinically extremely vulnerable.

Amanda Bloor, accountable officer at North Yorkshire CCG, told a North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum press briefing that supply does vary from week to week but officials were confident of meeting government targets.

She said:

“The government has assured us that there is supply in place. We have plans in place across North Yorkshire and York to meet those targets by February 15.

“The amount we get from week-to-week does vary. But what I would say is that this is not just a North Yorkshire vaccination campaign, this is a national campaign to target the most vulnerable.”

Health bosses confirmed the vaccine has been offered to all care home workers and residents in the region.

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However, some homes have had to defer inoculations due to outbreaks of covid among residents and staff.

Ms Bloor said:

“We cannot vaccinate people who are currently poorly with covid or the period immediately after they have had covid.

“Where these is an outbreak, the vaccination will be deferred in that home.”

Officials confirmed today that 126,163 vaccinations have been carried out across North Yorkshire and York.

Of that number, 107,752 have received a vaccine at a local vaccination site, such as the Great Yorkshire Showground. A further 18,411 have been vaccinated in hospital.

Meanwhile, a new vaccination site will be opened at Ripon racecourse next week.

The site will be the latest centre to serve the Harrogate district, alongside the Great Yorkshire Showground, Elland Road in Leeds and Askham Bar in York.

Vaccination site to be opened at Ripon racecourse

A vaccination site will be set up at Ripon racecourse, health bosses revealed this morning.

Amanda Bloor, accountable officer for NHS North Yorkshire CCG, told a North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum press briefing the site will open next week.

No further details are available yet.

Jonathan Mullin, marketing manager at Ripon Races, told the Stray Ferret vaccinations would take place on separate days to race days and the course’s fixtures were unaffected by the news.

Ripon Races has 15 fixtures scheduled this year, starting on April 15.

Meetings took place behind closed doors last year and there is still no news on when people may be allowed to attend.

Last week Ripon City Council called for the city to get its own vaccination site and suggested the Hugh Ripley Hall would be a suitable location.

Days later, the Local Resilience Forum confirmed it intended to open a site in Ripon but hadn’t identified a location. Today it confirmed the racecourse had been chosen.

Health bosses also revealed at the meeting that 107,752 vaccinations have been carried out across North Yorkshire and York since the programme started in December.

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Harrogate district reports 79 further coronavirus cases

The Harrogate district has had a further 79 cases of coronavirus confirmed, according to today’s Public Health England figures.

It takes the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic to 6,163.

The seven-day average rate of infection for the district stands at 325 people per 100,000.

The county-wide average is 303 and the national rate 467.

Killinghall and Hampsthwaite remains the area in the district with the most covid infections in the past seven-days, with 60 cases.

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Amanda Bloor, accountable officer at North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, told a press briefing of the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum today that 44 covid patients were currently being treated at Harrogate District Hospital.

Hospitals across the county have 471 positive covid patients — an increase of 84 on last week.

The current figure is 169 more than the peak of the first lockdown.

No further deaths from patients who tested positive for coronavirus have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital, according to NHS England data.

Harrogate district set to get first covid vaccine injections next week

The first covid vaccines in North Yorkshire will be injected at seven sites across the county next week, it was revealed today.

Amanda Bloor, accountable officer at North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, gave the news everyone has been waiting to hear at a weekly media briefing of North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, which represents all the organisations in the county responding to the pandemic.

Ms Bloor said the sites had been identified but did not reveal where they are.

She said the CCG, which buys medical services for the county, will provide further details when they are finalised.

Ms Bloor described the programme as a “logistical challenge”, but added that it was “fantastic news” that patients were starting to get the vaccine across the country.

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Planning for the vaccination programme is taking place on a regional level, including East Yorkshire, Hull and North Lincolnshire.

People included in the highest priority category, including those aged over 80 and front line NHS staff, will be the first to be offered the jab.

Ms Bloor said she anticipated that more sites will offer the vaccine in the coming weeks.

She said:

“We are currently in final planning for seven sites across North Yorkshire and York to people in North Yorkshire and York from next week.

“I do anticipate that more sites will come on stream in the following weeks and into the New Year.”

It comes as the first coronavirus vaccines were dispatched to 50 hospitals in the UK as the country embarks on the biggest vaccination programme in British history.

Each hospital received a batch of 975 doses. Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust, which runs St James’s University Hospital, is the closest to offer the vaccine to Harrogate.

Sylvia Harris, an 80-year-old NHS healthcare worker who joined the trust when she was 26, was the first to receive the jab in the city yesterday.

Harrogate district ready for coronavirus vaccine rollout

Health bosses for the Harrogate district have welcomed news of a coronavirus vaccine and say they are ready to roll it out locally.

The UK is the first western nation to approve a vaccine, which was developed by Pfizer-Biontech and is up to 95% effective.

It poses a major logistical challenge, not only because of the sheer numbers that need the vaccine but also as it needs to be kept at minus 70 degrees Centigrade.

Amanda Bloor, accountable officer for the three North Yorkshire clinical commissioning groups, which commission health products, said at a coronavirus press briefing this morning:

“We are working across the system and planning in real time to take stock of the vaccine as it become available next week.

“I think we should be optimistic and are right to be delighted. We will work through the plans that we have put in place over the last few weeks.

“There are a lot of logistics around it in terms of moving the vaccine around, getting it where it needs to be and then getting people in the right place.”

The briefing did not provide details of how the programme would be administered in the district but the first vaccines are likely to be injected in the main hospitals before Nightingale hospitals and GPs also get involved.

Care homes residents and care home staff are top of the list, followed by people aged over 80 and other healthcare staff.

A total of 800,000 doses are expected to be distributed next week but it is unclear how many will be awarded to each local area.

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Ms Bloor spoke at a weekly media briefing of the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, which is a partnership of organisations that tackle emergencies in the county.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency approved the Pfizer-Biontech vaccine after a process known as a “rolling review”.

Scientists reviewed the data as it became available in order to approve it as soon as possible.

Dr June Raine, chief executive at the MHRA, said:

“Vaccines are the most effective way to prevent infectious diseases. They save millions of lives worldwide.”

North Yorkshire ‘will be prepared’ for covid vaccine

Health bosses in North Yorkshire have said they will be prepared to rollout a coronavirus vaccine in December, if it is available.

Amanda Bloor, accountable officer at North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, which buys medicines for the county, said it was working with national officials to make sure plans are in place to offer the vaccine.

It comes as preliminary results of the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine showed that it was 90% effective after being tested on 43,500 people.

Ms Bloor told a press briefing yesterday of the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, a partnership of agencies that tackle emergencies, there was “significant work” to do on the safety of the vaccine but the CCG would be ready for a rollout next month.

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She said:

“Although there is some uncertainty on timescales, we will be ready in December to deploy a vaccine if it is available.

“But it is likely that wider vaccination will take place after Christmas and into the New Year. Any vaccination that happens before Christmas would be for very vulnerable groups.

“We are planning to be ready for this with our partners.”

“Even when we do have a vaccine, we still need to observe any social distancing measures, lockdown measures and the guidance around hand washing and hygiene.”

‘Don’t contact your GP’

Ms Bloor urged patients not to contact GP practices about the vaccine as it is not available. She said once it is, the CCG will be “very clear about the process”.

The government has said that any vaccine will be offered to the public in phases.

The first phase will include people living and working in care homes, those over the age of 80, then over 75, over 70, over 65 and then over 60.

It will then be offered to adults with health conditions that put them at risk, before it is given to those over the age of 55 and then 50.

The vaccine is given in two doses, three weeks apart.

‘Cautiously optimistic’

Dr Lincoln Sargeant, director of public health at North Yorkshire County Council, welcomed the preliminary results of the Pfizer vaccine.

Dr Sargeant said he was “cautiously optimistic” about the results but added there needed to be “long-term behavioural change” to overcome the virus.

He said:

“Any new drug or any new vaccine, the preliminary results are always going to be rosey for a variety of reasons.

“It is likely that when this vaccine is deployed fully that the effectiveness will be somewhat less than 90%.

“But it is still positive news, because it says that we have a vaccine that not only does the biology in terms of triggering the anti-bodies but in practice it can actually prevent infection.”

Meanwhile, a further 75 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed across the Harrogate district according to Public Health England figures today.

It takes the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic up to 3,178.

The seven-day rolling average rate of covid infections for the district has risen above 300 people per 100,000 for the first time.

The rate, which was 160 just over a fortnight ago, is now 307, which is above the England average of 254.