Covid cases in Harrogate district rise by 53

A further 53 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the Harrogate district today.

It brings the total diagnosed with the virus to 6,321 since the start of the pandemic.

The seven-day average rate of infection for the district has risen slightly to 292.9 per 100,000, compared to 284 yesterday.

Meanwhile, the seven-day average for the whole of North Yorkshire is now 273.3. Craven and Selby remain the districts with the highest rate in the county, each at just over 300.

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No further deaths have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital in today’s figures from Public Health England.

The latest figures show the hospital is currently treating 44 inpatients with covid.

Covid cases rise by 37 in Harrogate district

A further 37 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the Harrogate district, today’s figures confirm.

The number of positive tests in the last 24 hours brings the total for the area to 4,127 since the pandemic began.

The rate of positive cases per 100,000 people in the district now stands at 93.7, a rise from yesterday’s figure of 86. However, it is still below the average for North Yorkshire of 142.2, and for England of 354.9.

Nationally, data from Public Health England shows that 32,725 people tested positive for covid-19 in the last 24 hours, and 570 people died within 28 days of testing positive.

Five patients were admitted to Harrogate District Hospital with the virus in the seven days to December 20, compared to 10 in the previous seven days. Only one patient diagnosed with covid-19 has died in the district in the last 14 days.

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In line with national guidance, families have been able to spend Christmas Day together within a limit of three households. Tomorrow, rules for tier two come back into force, including no household mixing indoors.

This week, a new vaccination centre opened at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate. Up to 900 people per day could be given the vaccine, with those aged over 80, care home residents and healthcare workers among the first to be invited to appointments.

Scarborough could drag Harrogate district into tier three

There are fears the Harrogate district could be dragged into a higher tier of coronavirus restrictions amid rising infections elsewhere in the county.

Scarborough is a particular concern as the seven-day average rate of infection has shot up to 254 per 100,000 people from about 150 a week ago.

The area also has the highest positive rates in the whole of the north east of England.

The Harrogate district has 86 infections per 100,000 people. It has remained at about the 90 mark for a few weeks now.

North Yorkshire is currently in tier two. But the possibility of dividing the county into different tiers was raised at a coronavirus press briefing this morning.

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Richard Webb, the corporate director of health and adult services at North Yorkshire County Council, said:

“There has been a dramatic increase of cases in Scarborough. Particularly scary as the increases are among children and those in their 30s.

“People are mixing indoors there. They put themselves and the whole area at risk.”

Asked about the next tier review on December 30, Mr Webb said “up until now” local health leaders had not expected any change to the county’s tier two status.

But he added cases were rising in parts of the county and the door remained open to splitting North Yorkshire into different tiers.

The government highlighted Scarborough as “the most concerning area” in North Yorkshire when it reviewed the tiers last week. Case rates have almost doubled since then.

Back then the government review concluded the “trajectory [did] not warrant tier three” but last weekend’s events highlighted how quickly things can change.

Local health leaders told the forum no confirmed cases of the new coronavirus strain had been recorded in the county but nevertheless they acknowledged it could already be here.

More cases and one more coronavirus death in Harrogate

There are 22 new cases in the Harrogate district today as the hospital reports another coronavirus death.

Public Health England figures for the district, which have been dropping steadily since the start of November, are now at 3,536 cases overall.

Harrogate District Hospital is now at 99 coronavirus deaths in total after it reported one more death today.

The death, while reported today, happened on Thursday. November 26.

It also comes as the Harrogate district prepares to move into tier two restrictions on Wednesday as the national lockdown ends.

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Harrogate district to get local test and trace system

The Harrogate district will be part of a local test and trace system operating in North Yorkshire from next week.

It comes amid reports the current national programme for test and trace is only managing to reach about 60% of those who have come into close contact with a positive case.

Dr Victoria Turner, a public health consultant for North Yorkshire County Council, revealed the news this morning at a briefing by North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, which is a partnership of organisations that responds to emergencies. She said:

“This follows the national trend where most councils now are moving to a local component of contact tracing. These obviously started in the areas of greatest concern, those that were in tier three.

“From Monday we will do contact tracing. Public Health England will start to hand over cases for us to follow-up from tomorrow. It’s been quite a fast turnaround on that.”

If the national test and trace system is unable to reach someone they will hand the case to the local team.

Calls will be carried out by trained staff at North Yorkshire County Council’s headquarters in Northallerton seven days a week.

Dr Turner expects more people will engage with tracing if calls are made from a local number.

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The local call centre will also be able to signpost people to local support groups.

Richard Flinton, chief executive officer at North Yorkshire County Council, called on the community to pull together ahead of tomorrow’s lockdown:

“We have got to positively embrace the national lockdown. I do understand it will have a knock-on effect for businesses and also for people.

“That’s why we need to make sure that we look out for each other and think about those who we live near to. If we work together we can keep this lockdown limited and get to those benefits on the other side.”

Coronavirus in numbers

The briefing revealed there are currently 15 coronavirus patients at Harrogate District Hospital — down one from last week.

The full-time testing site in Harrogate is testing about 150 people a day, which is about half of its full capacity.

The Harrogate district currently has a seven-day average infection rate of 252 cases per 100,000 people — higher than the national average of 225.

57 more people test positive for coronavirus

A further 57 people in the Harrogate district have tested positive for covid-19, according to figures released today.

It means the district’s total confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic is now 2,106.

Across Yorkshire and the Humber, 3,565 further cases were confirmed today, bringing the total for the region to 115,145 since the outbreak began.

No further deaths have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital in today’s figures from NHS England.

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Yesterday, the hospital reported the death of a patient who had been diagnosed with coronavirus. The death took place on Sunday, October 25.

The total number of deaths in patients with covid-19 at the hospital since the start of the pandemic stands at 85.

Regionally, 44 deaths were confirmed today in Yorkshire and the Humber, out of a total of 207 across England. The patients were aged between 36 and 101, and all except six of them – aged between 60 and 93 – had known underlying health conditions.