No vaccine passports: Harrogate Town prepares to reduce capacity

Harrogate Town have confirmed that there will be no requirement to show proof of coronavirus vaccination at the EnviroVent Stadium.

Under the government’s Plan B restrictions, unseated venues with more than 4,000 people need to check for a negative covid test result or an NHS covid pass.

The EnviroVent Stadium on Wetherby Road can hold up to 5,000 fans so it is just over that limit. However, attendance has not gone over the 3,500 mark so far this season.

Read more:

A spokesman for Harrogate Town told the Stray Ferret:

“If it came to it, we would cap ticket sales below 4,000, however we don’t foresee this being necessary with average numbers falling well below 4,000 this season to date.

“We will continue to monitor the situation and are still waiting on further advice, but will follow government, English Football League and local authority guidelines to ensure the safety of visitors and staff alike.

“We are encouraging face masks, hand washing and ask anyone with covid symptoms or living with anyone with covid symptoms not to visit the stadium.”

There is a mixed picture across League Two. Some clubs, like Harrogate Town, have opted for reduced capacity while others will ask for a covid pass.

Number of covid patients at Harrogate hospital triples

The number of coronavirus patients at Harrogate District Hospital has tripled in the last week, a media briefing heard this morning.

Amanda Bloor, accountable officer at NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, told North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum the hospital was treating nine patients compared with three seven days ago.

However, the number remains well below the 67 patients the hospital was treating at the height of the second wave in February.

Ms Bloor added the increase has been mirrored across the county:

“Unfortunately the number of patients does continue to rise. As of yesterday, there were 136 patients across our hospitals in North Yorkshire and York.

“This is up from a figure of 112 this time last week – and 16 of those 136 patients are in intensive care.

“If the number of patients with covid does continue to rise, it could have an impact on our hospitals’ ability to carry out planned procedures.

“We are not seeing that significantly at the moment but we do just need to keep an eye on those numbers.”

A breakdown of the figures shows there are nine patients in both Harrogate and Scarborough hospitals, 26 in York and 92 in South Tees.

Read more:

There has not been a covid-related death at the Harrogate hospital in more than three months.

This is due to high levels of vaccine uptake but Ms Bloor said there was still work to do to ensure more people are protected, particularly the younger population.

She said: “The vaccination programme is now open to all age cohorts and is particularly focusing on the younger cohorts.

“With the easing of restrictions from July 19, it is potentially understandable that younger people may feel there is now no advantage of getting vaccinated but we are seeing some younger people in hospital with covid who are actually quite poorly.

“I would continue to urge everyone to come forward for their vaccination – it is the best method of protection.”

Infection rates falling

It comes as Harrogate’s weekly infection rate continues to fall. The rate reached a record high of 534 cases per 100,000 people on July 18 and now stands at 348.

Health officials believe the drop in cases across the country could be down to schools closing for the summer holidays and people meeting up outdoors due to the recent sunny weather.

What they have said for certain though is that the number of people being admitted to hospital with covid needs to start falling as well to show that the virus is really in decline.

Dr Victoria Turner, public health consultant at North Yorkshire County Council, said:

“The number of people in local hospitals with Covid over the last week has continued to increase, however, we do know that hospitalisation data does tend to lag a bit.

“If that starts to go down too, then we can start to be a bit happier that the decline in cases we are seeing at the moment is a real one.”

Some Harrogate district care workers could quit over compulsory vaccines

Compulsory covid vaccines for care home staff could cause some care workers in the Harrogate district to quit their jobs, a local carer has warned.

But another described it as a positive move that would protect care home residents who were unable to be vaccinated for health reasons.

It was reported today that all care home staff in England will be given 16 weeks to be vaccinated or potentially lose their jobs.

A third of North Yorkshire’s 235 care homes are in the Harrogate district so many staff could be affected.

Alison Morgan, a carer from The Manor House Knaresborough, said she was pro-vaccination but opposed making it compulsory. She said:

“I disagree with it being compulsory because it could result in a loss of jobs.

“I do see both sides but it’s a choice at the end of the day. Some people pre-empted it and changed their minds and got the jab, others have already left the job.”

Ms Morgan said there were mixed feelings among the home’s 65 staff, and that she knew a few workers at other care homes that were likely to leave if vaccines became mandatory. She added:

“It’s almost like the government is making up for the mistakes they made at the beginning and saying ‘we’ll look after you now’. But making it compulsory messes with people’s human rights.”

Alison Morgan

Alison Morgan from The Manor House, Knaresborough

But Sue Cawthray chief executive of Harrogate Neighbours, which operates care homes as part of its mission to help older people, described it as a positive move.She said:

“We’ve been lucky at Harrogate Neighbours that all staff have been vaccinated. From a recruitment perspective, all new staff will need to have the vaccine, which is positive.

“We have a few residents who can’t be vaccinated for health reasons so we have to protect them and this is another way of doing that.”

Read more:

The government is expected to announce the move in the coming days following a Department of Health and Social Care consultation.

‘Persuasion better than coercion’

Mike Padgham, chair of the Independent Care Group, which represents care providers in York and North Yorkshire, said on Radio 4’s Today programme this morning he was pro-vaccination but had doubts about making it mandatory for care home staff. He said:

“I do believe people should take up the vaccine but it should be by persuasion rather than coercion.

“There is already a recruitment crisis in social care, we’re already short of staff. I’m worried people looking to come in the sector might not come in now and the staff working here now may choose to leave.

“We just need a bit more help and time.”

Just three coronavirus cases in Harrogate district today

A further three cases of coronavirus have been reported in the Harrogate district today, according to Public Health England figures.

The daily number of cases reported is 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 is removed.

Public Health England data also show the total number of covid vaccinations given in the district has risen to 173,162 today.

It comes on the day the government advised people not to travel in or out of several areas of England, including nearby Kirklees, unless it is essential because of rising cases of the Indian covid variant.

The other local authority areas people are urged to avoid are: Bedford Borough Council, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council, Burnley Borough Council, Leicester City Council, the London Borough of Hounslow and North Tyneside Council.

Read more:

The Harrogate district’s seven-day case rate has fallen to 10 infections per 100,000 today. In North Yorkshire the average is 12 and England’s figure is 23.

Yesterday marked six weeks since Harrogate District Hospital reported a covid death. The hospital also announced it had zero covid patients for the first time since August.

Harrogate vaccine centre gives 100,000th jab today

The vaccination centre at Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Showground marked a major milestone today when it gave its 100,000th jab.

James Eaton, pictured above, had the honour of receiving the 100,000th inoculation.

Yorkshire Health Network, a federation of 17 GP surgeries in the Harrogate district, is delivering the vaccine programme.

The tally includes all first and second jabs at the Harrogate and Ripon sites, as well as vulnerable people who are housebound or homeless.

It does not include the pharmacy-led sites in Knaresborough and Pateley Bridge, which today told the Stray Ferret they have separately administered 15,000 and 400 vaccines respectively.

Today’s milestone is a major leap from when an 83-year-old woman called Anne was among the first to be vaccinated in Harrogate in late December.

Read more:

Dr Ian Dilley, a member of the Harrogate and rural coronavirus vaccination steering group, said:

“As we take a moment to celebrate this monumental achievement we would like to thank all those who have been involved, without whom this endeavour would not have been possible.

“That includes our resilient workforce of practice staff, our tireless volunteer marshals, the local organisations who have donated goodies, Transdev bus company and our kind hosts.

“A huge thank you to all involved”.

However, the progress of the vaccination programme in the Harrogate district may slow in the weeks ahead.

A letter seen by the Stray Ferret from the Humber, Coast and Vale Integrated Care System, which oversees the vaccine programme in the Harrogate district, revealed how those hoping for a first dose may have to wait until June.

The letter, which you can read more about here, was sent to senior health officials in the region as well as large scale vaccination sites and community pharmacies.

Coronavirus vaccine centre to open in Pateley Bridge

A coronavirus vaccine centre is to open in Pateley Bridge next month with the capacity to provide up to 400 inoculations a day.

It will be the fourth vaccination site in the Harrogate district, following in the footsteps of the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate, the racecourse at Ripon and the former Lidl in Knaresborough.

Pateley Bridge Pharmacy is behind the plans to open at Pateley Bridge and Bewerley Memorial Hall on Park Road.

The pharmacy led site will use the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine because it is easy to store and transport.

Read more:

Samina Khan, who runs Pateley Bridge Pharmacy, told the Stray Ferret that she hopes to be getting jabs in arms by April 6:

“We know that there is a need in rural areas. It took a bit of convincing but NHS England has now given us the go ahead.

“The hall is quite large. When we are up and running we will be able to vaccinate around 400 people a day.

“Pateley Bridge is a real community and it has taken a real community effort to organise.

“The church provided screens, the school provided a car park on weekends and the trustees of the hall has provided space.”

The pharmacy already has a team of medical professionals and volunteers on standby.

However, she asked for retired nurses and doctors who are interested in helping to reach out to Pateley Bridge Pharmacy. Call 01423 711329 if you are able to help.

Ms Khan said some people had complained to her pharmacy ab out having to pay up to £60 for travel to the other vaccine sites.

Chris Henderson, chairman of Pateley Bridge and Bewerley Memorial Hall trustees, said:

“We are delighted that the hall will be put to good use while it is closed for its usual activities.

“Thanks to generous government support, the hall is financially secure and essential maintenance and safety inspections had been carried out.

“It will enable the hall to open safely when allowed to do so.”

Coronavirus vaccine reaches more than 64,000 in Harrogate district

The Harrogate district has handed out a first dose of the coronavirus vaccine to 64,416 people so far.

NHS figures released today, which covers the period up until March 7, show how 20,000 of those jabs are in the arms of the under 60s.

It also comes as Harrogate District Hospital is now down to 17 coronavirus patients, down from 42 patients last Thursday.

Since the start of the pandemic the hospital has admitted 800 coronavirus positive patients and discharged 575.

Read more:

Two more people have also died after testing positive for coronavirus at Harrogate District Hospital. One of the patients died yesterday and the other died on Tuesday.

The number of coronavirus cases has remained low in the Harrogate district over the past couple of weeks. Today the district added a further 13 cases to bring the total up to 7,419 cases.

This week the NHS also confirmed that the Nightingale hospital will close and the building will return as a convention centre.

Can Great Yorkshire Show and vaccine site take place together?

Health leaders revealed today they are in discussions with the organisers of the Great Yorkshire Show about whether the event and the vaccination programme on the site can take place together.

The Yorkshire Agricultural Society announced this week it planned to stage the three-day show from July 13 to 15, adding the decision would be ‘reviewed regularly’.

This raised questions about the impact on the mass vaccination programme that is being run at the Great Yorkshire Showground.

The showground, which can carry out up to 1,800 vaccinations a day, has been the Harrogate district’s main vaccine centre since December.

The NHS is due to be giving jabs to under-50s at the time of the show.

The vaccines are administered in the Yorkshire Event Centre building at the showground. The event centre is usually a key part of the Great Yorkshire Show, hosting many food stalls.

Read more:

Amanda Bloor, accountable officer for North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, told a coronavirus press briefing today:

“It’s great that we can see the light at the end of the tunnel and that venues which would have been standing empty have been serving such a great purpose.

“There are a number of sites we will be having conversations with over the next few weeks and there are also sites we are already in discussions with.

“We are talking about how we can run vaccination sites concurrently with public-facing events or whether we need to think about providing it in a different way.

“So we are working with individual sites to understand what the different options are for us.”

The Stray Ferret also asked the Yorkshire Agricultural Society about the situation.

Heather Parry, Managing Director of Yorkshire Event Centre said:

“We are discussing our plans with the NHS vaccination centre and together we expect to come up with workable solutions.”

Knaresborough vaccine site prepares to give 10,000 jabs a week

The company running Knaresborough’s new vaccination centre plans to administer 10,000 jabs a week from next month and create a “carnival atmosphere”.

The centre, which is run by Knaresborough-based Homecare Pharmacy Services, is made up of two modular units at the old Lidl site on York Road.

During Saturday’s opening day, which started at 8.30am and finished at 8.30pm, pharmacy staff got the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab in the arms of 850 people.

Read more:

However, many people turned up too early on the opening day, causing delays, and the company hopes that when such teething problems are overcome it will be able to inoculate more than 1,400 people a day.

That ambitious target is only just a little behind the mass vaccination site at the Great Yorkshire Showgrouund in Harrogate, which currently gives out 1,800 vaccines a day.

Homecare Pharmacy Services has urged people to turn up only a maximum of 5 minutes early and to also bring their NHS numbers to help speed up the process.

It was a sunny and warm day on Saturday for people queueing but the weather could easily worsen. Pharmacy boss Jason Baskind told the Stray Ferret about his plans to keep spirits up:

“We would like to create a bit of a carnival atmosphere for those waiting. We will of course control social distancing but we want some entertainment in the car park.

“The town choir and other musicians will come to the vaccine centre and hopefully that takes attention away from the queueing.

“We are told that vaccine supply will improve significantly by the end of March so by April we hope to be open every day and give out 10,000 jabs a week.”

Knaresborough vaccine centre opens at former supermarket

Knaresborough’s vaccine centre opened in the car park of a former supermarket today.

It is the first pharmacy-led site in the Harrogate district, which also has vaccine centres in Harrogate and Ripon.

This latest centre, which is run by Knaresborough-based Homecare Pharmacy Services, is made up of two modular units at the old Lidl on York Road, Knaresborough.

It can administer up to 1,200 jabs a day, depending on supply.

Read more:

The centre has the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, as it is easier to store.

Sarah Bennington, who was amongst the first through the doors, told the Stray Ferret after her jab:

“I feel a bit safer now, it has been a long wait. I would tell anyone who is a bit hesitant to go for it.

“The jab didn’t hurt at all.”

Jason Baskind, of Homecare Pharmacy Services, told the Stray Ferret:

“We have had our lives on hold for a long time now; this is absolutely saving lives.

“Just to be involved in getting people back on their feet again, I feel honoured to be part of it.”