Harrogate headteachers ‘nervous’ as schools return during covid surge

Harrogate headteachers say they are “nervous” about this week’s return to school as covid testing and face masks are reintroduced to minimise disruption during an expected rise in infections.

Secondary school pupils will now have to wear masks in class as well as in communal areas to help tackle the spread of the Omicron variant.

All students will also be expected to take an on-site test and complete twice-weekly testing from home under rules reintroduced by the government in response to surging cases.

Neil Renton, headteacher at Harrogate Grammar School, said that although infections amongst staff and students were currently low, a rise was expected and this could lead to extra measures including entire year groups learning from home. He said:

“We have got seven staff who have tested positive, but this is not enough to significantly disrupt our provision.

“At this stage we are fine, but we are nervous and do have some trepidations about the term ahead.

“We had a point before Christmas where 30 staff members were off due to covid. We didn’t have to close year groups, but it was very tight.

“This is not new to us as for the past almost two years we have had significant disruptions.

“I’m confident we can continue to deal with this. Where I have a nervousness is if staff absences become so high we have to make a decision on whether it would be better to send a year group home.

“This is a decision I and many other headteachers may have to wrestle with in the coming weeks.”

Sylvia Brett, principal at Harrogate Ladies’ College, also said plans were in place to deal with any disruptions, including the recruitment of supply staff and combining classes. She said:

“We will do everything we possibly can to continue to deliver the high quality of education our pupils and families expect during these difficult times.”

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The return to school comes as there is a further push for staff and more young people to get vaccinated.

Latest figures show 77% of 16 to 17-year-olds and 58% of 12 to 15-year-olds in the Harrogate district have received vaccines which are being made available at sites including the Great Yorkshire Showground, Ripon Racecourse and local pharmacies.

Support to schools

After cancellations in 2020 and 2021, the government is currently planning for exams to go ahead as normal this summer.

Stuart Carlton, corporate director of children and young people’s services at North Yorkshire County Council, said support would be offered to schools throughout the year and that the top priority was to ensure all students receive face-to-face education “where possible”. He said:

“Being educated in the classroom, among their friends and with the support of teaching staff, is the best place for pupils.

“Schools have worked hard to ensure they remain safe places and to minimise the spread of the virus, with the support of the council.

“We have provided updated risk assessment templates with the latest government guidance for education settings in the county.

“Schools have access to public health colleagues for advice and we are providing support and guidance in other areas such as health and safety, human resources and property issues.”

Harrogate district reports 280 cases after Christmas outage

The Harrogate district has reported a record 280 covid cases, according to the latest daily government figures.

The number is the highest recorded in the district since the UK Health Security Agency started reporting figures in March 2020.

However, daily case reporting has resumed today after the coronavirus dashboard was paused for Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Figures show 98,515 cases have been recorded in the UK as the Omicron variant continues to spread.

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Meanwhile, UK Health Security Agency figures show that a total of 100,234 booster and third vaccines have been given in the Harrogate district so far.

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

Latest available figures show 13 covid patients are being treated at Harrogate District Hospital – an increase from eight last week.

Another 111 coronavirus cases reported in Harrogate district

The Harrogate district has reported a further 111 covid cases, according to today’s government figures.

The district’s covid rate now stands at 516 infections per 100,000 people.

Across the county, the average stands at 511 and the England rate is 437.

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

As of Tuesday, 14 covid patients were being treated at Harrogate District Hospital which is a significant drop from last week.

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Harrogate district covid rate stabilises after another 144 infections

The Harrogate district has recorded another 144 coronavirus cases today, according to the latest Public Health England figures.

Although daily cases remain high, Harrogate District Hospital has not reported any further covid patient deaths.

The seven-day rate for the Harrogate district is now 517 per 100,000 people, which is much lower than the peak of 740 on October 16. However, the rate of decline has slowed in recent days.

The district now has the fourth highest rate in North Yorkshire, below Craven, Ryedale and Selby.

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North Yorkshire’s average is 503 per 100,000 and England’s is 450.

The hospital was treating 19 covid patients as of Monday.

It was also announced this week that 12-15 year olds can now book their covid vaccines appointments.

The government’s coronavirus dashboard had not updated the vaccine figures for the Harrogate district today at the time of going to press.

Nearly 50 coronavirus cases reported in Harrogate in a day

Coronavirus cases continue to climb in the Harrogate district with another day where nearly 50 cases have been reported.

The seven day average for the district has risen suddenly from 103 two days ago to 133 today.

Elsewhere, the North Yorkshire rate is 111 and the England average is 128.

According to Public Health England figures, it takes the total number of infections since last March to 8,253.

However, no covid-related deaths have been confirmed at Harrogate District Hospital since April 11.

Harrogate District Hospital also has a low number of coronavirus patients. The total number, as of June 24 is three.

The death toll at the hospital since the pandemic started remains at 179.

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Harrogate district’s race to vaccinate as coronavirus rates rise

The Harrogate district’s covid infection rate has returned to levels not seen since March.

The news comes ahead of tonight’s expected government announcement that the planned June 21 unlocking will be delayed by four weeks.

The Delta variant first identified in India was confirmed to have arrived in North Yorkshire last month and Harrogate’s weekly infection rate has since more than tripled.

However, there were no covid patients in Harrogate District Hospital as of last Wednesday and it has been two months since it recorded a death.

Public Health England figures show the latest infection rate for the Harrogate district is 52 cases per 100,000 people – up from 16 this time last month.

The latest figure is also above the North Yorkshire average of 41, but below the England average of 70.

Meanwhile, more than 111,000 people in the district have now received their first covid jab and over 92,000 their second.

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Under the roadmap out of lockdown, England was due to move to stage four on June 21 when events and venues, including nightclubs, would be allowed to operate without capacity limits, and the cap on guests at weddings would also be lifted.

But many scientists have called for a delay to enable more people to be vaccinated and allow more time for work on whether vaccines are breaking or weakening the link between infections and hospitalisations.

Speaking at a meeting on Thursday, councillor Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, said with hopes of lockdown restrictions lifting now fading, “the race is on” to vaccinate as many people as possible as the spread of infections gathers pace.

“The light is still there but the increase in Delta variant transmissions is worrying. The trend is going upwards, hospitalisations are increasing and it also seems to be spreading into younger people who until recently seemed to be relatively immune.

“The race is on to vaccinate all of us as soon as possible. This is not over yet and we just have to be careful still.”

No deaths but Harrogate district covid rate continue to rise

The Harrogate district’s coronavirus rate of infection has continued to increase — but there have been no covid-related deaths for almost two months now.

The district recorded a further seven coronavirus cases, according to today’s figures by NHS England

The seven-day average rate of infection is now to 29 per 100,000 in population. The North Yorkshire average is 23 and the England average is 44.

Harrogate’s rate is the second highest of the seven North Yorkshire districts behind Selby.

The last covid-related death at Harrogate District Hospital was on April 11.

There have been 109,175 first vaccine doses and 83,547 second doses in the Harrogate district.

From tomorrow, all those who are 25-years-old and over will be invited to book a vaccine.

It comes as the UK health regulator has also given the go-ahead for the Pfizer/BioNtech jab to be used on 12 to 15 years old.

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Just one coronavirus case in Harrogate district

There has been just one positive coronavirus case reported today in the Harrogate district, according to Public Health England.

It brings the total number of people who have tested positive for coronavirus since the pandemic began to 7,761.

The daily number of cases reported is now based on PCR and lateral flow tests returning positive results.

However, if someone with a positive lateral flow test later has a negative result with a PCR test, the earlier result will be removed.

The daily number of cases has remained low, but the seven day average for the district has creeped up to 21,

NHS England no longer reports coronavirus deaths from hospitals over weekends or on Bank Holidays, just on weekdays.

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Six more covid cases in Harrogate district

Six more cases of covid have been recorded in the Harrogate district, according to the latest Public Health England data.

No more covid-related deaths at Harrogate District Hospital have been recorded, which means it is almost a month since the last one.

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The seven-day average rate of infection in the district is 12 per 100,000 people. A week ago it was 16.

The rate in Harrogate is below both the North Yorkshire and England averages, which stand at 20 and 22 respectively.

The highest rate in North Yorkshire is in Selby district, at 64.

The district’s total number of infections since the beginning of the pandemic now stands at 7,709.

Harrogate district covid cases stays in single figures

The Harrogate district has recorded just two coronavirus cases in today’s daily figures, according to Public Health England.

It means that the seven day rate in the district remains low at just 15 per 100,000 compared to the England average of 44 per 100,000.

North Yorkshire as a whole has a slightly lower seven day rate than the rest of the country at 36 per 100,000.

So far 7,590 people have tested positive for coronavirus since the start of the pandemic in the district.

Harrogate District Hospital has not recorded any further coronavirus deaths today.

The hospital recorded a death for the first time in 13 days on March 30. Currently the hospital’s death toll is at 178.

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