111 positive covid cases in Harrogate district

The Harrogate district has reported 111 cases of covid, according to Public Health England figures.

The district’s 7-day average case rate is 454 per 100,000 people, which is the third-highest rate in North Yorkshire.

Across the county, the average rate is 417 and the England average is 341.

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

Since the pandemic began 197 people have died with covid at the hospital.

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118 positive covid cases in Harrogate district

The Harrogate district has reported 118 cases of covid, according to Public Health England figures.

The district’s 7 day average case rate is 451 per 100,000 people, which is the third-highest rate in North Yorkshire.

Across the county, the average rate is 413 and the England average is 339.

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

However, two further covid deaths were reported on November 3 and 6. It brings the total since the pandemic began to 197.

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Ripon hospital to undergo £161,000 refurbishment

Ripon Community Hospital is set to undergo a £161,000 refurbishment.

NHS Property Services, which owns the building, is carrying out works to the hospital site to upgrade its roofs, kitchens and heating system.

The organisation has handed a £161,231 contract to Richmond-based Acomb Construction Ltd to take on the work.

It comes as part of NHS Property Services’ five-year plan for the hospital and the improvements will form the second phase of works to the site.

It will include upgrading some of the 30-year-old flooring, roofing and a range of electrical units for the building.

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Health bosses said the work was part of an ongoing refurbishment of Ripon hospital, which will bring the site “up to standard”.

They added that the work had been designed with the input of staff and that the nurses’ station will be refurbished along with new kitchen facilities and a staff breakout area.

Martin Salmon, senior construction manager at NHS Property Services, said: 

“NHS Property Services is committed to a 5-year investment plan that aims to bring Ripon Community Hospital up to the very best of standards, providing first-rate facilities for staff and patients. 

“We are pleased that once these improvements have been made, they will help the NHS to deliver excellent patient care.”

More than 500 excess deaths in North Yorkshire during coronavirus

There have been 559 excess deaths in North Yorkshire during the coronavirus pandemic, new figures have revealed.

Excess deaths are a measure of how many more people are dying than would be expected when compared to previous years and can be used to show the overall impact of the pandemic.

Figures presented to a meeting of North Yorkshire’s Outbreak Management Advisory Board showed 11,347 deaths from all causes were expected during the weeks of the pandemic based on the five-year average.

A total of 11,906 deaths from all causes were recorded up until 1 October – giving an excess of 559.

Dr Victoria Turner, public health consultant at North Yorkshire County Council, told today’s meeting that these figures were “largely reflective of the national position”. She said:

“The largest peaks of excess deaths, unsurprisingly, were during covid’s first and second wave.

“This was followed by periods where deaths were actually a bit below the expected number, however, those periods were not enough to offset the very high numbers of excess deaths that we saw during both wave one and two.”

According to Public Health England figures, there have been a total of 1,227 deaths in North Yorkshire where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

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The recent rate of Covid deaths and hospital admissions has increased slightly since the end of summer, however, the figures are lower than previous waves.

20 patients still in intensive care

Despite this, Sue Peckitt, chief nurse at NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said the heath service was still facing “unprecedented” demand with 171 Covid patients currently in the county’s hospitals.

She told today’s meeting that the majority of these patients were over-65 and that 20 were in intensive care:

“We continue to see high demand into our primary and emergency care departments.

“Whilst we are seeing high numbers of Covid infections in our younger population, it is the older population that is presenting into hospital.”

Ms Peckitt also said the vaccine rollout was continuing with a focus on booster jabs for over 50s and increasing uptake for 12 to 15-year-olds who will be offered their single dose by the end of November. She added:

“The schools programme for 12 to 15-year-olds is now rolling out through our provider Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, but we have also opened up three sites on the national booking system.

“These are the pharmacy site at Knaresborough, the Askham Bar site at York and the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough.”

Another 150 covid cases in Harrogate district as rate reaches 734

A further 150 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the Harrogate district in the last 24 hours, according to the latest Public Health England figures.

It brings Harrogate’s total number of cases to 19,271 since the start of the pandemic. The district has a seven-day infection rate of 734 per 100,000 people.

The rate in the Harrogate district is the highest in Yorkshire and the eleventh highest in England.

Public health officials said today school pupils were driving the rapid increase in infections in the Harrogate district.

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Headteachers have been urged to bring back face masks and postpone after-school activities.

Despite the rise in infections, deaths and hospitalisations remain lower than previous waves with 15 covid-positive patients at Harrogate District Hospital on Monday.

According to the latest NHS data, the hospital in Harrogate has not reported any new coronavirus deaths today.

Great Yorkshire Showground vaccine centre to reopen

A vaccination centre will reopen at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate amid surging covid cases driven by the transmission of the virus in schools.

An urgent press conference called today to address the Harrogate district’s high infection rate heard the Yorkshire Event Centre will be used to administer jabs again.

Currently there is no specific date for the return of the showground vaccine centre, which was last used in June. However, the meeting heard it will coincide with the “peak of the booster programme”.

Today’s meeting was convened hastily in response to the district’s seven-day coronavirus rate reaching 733 cases per 100,000 people.

It is the highest in Yorkshire and one of the highest in England.

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Rachael Durrett, head of communication and engagement at North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group said during the meeting:

“In response the Yorkshire Event Centre site will be stood up later in the year to cover the peak of the booster programme.

“There are also pharmacy sites that service the Harrogate area, including at Knaresborough. We will share a full list of pharmacy sites.”

‘Vaccine centre will not clash with events’

A spokesperson for the Great Yorkshire Showground said the vaccine centre will not clash with any of its existing events.

The vaccine centre will open in Hall 2 straight after the Christmas fair, which runs from December 2 to 5.

Another covid death as case rates climb in Harrogate district

Harrogate District Hospital has recorded another coronavirus death as case rates in the district continue to climb to new highs.

The patient died on Tuesday last week but the hospital reported the death today. It takes the hospital’s covid-related death total to 192.

As of last Thursday, the hospital was treating 14 covid patients – well below last winter’s peak of 67.

Public Health England said today another 147 people have tested positive for the virus in the Harrogate district.

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Case rates in the Harrogate district are so high that North Yorkshire County Council has called an urgent meeting to discuss them tomorrow.

The district’s seven-day rate is now 733 per 100,000 population, which is far higher than the current England average of 448.

North Yorkshire County Council will host the virtual meeting tomorrow from 10.30am until 11am, when health officials will brief the media on the situation.

Urgent meeting to tackle Harrogate district’s soaring covid rate

Public health officials are to hold an urgent press conference tomorrow to discuss soaring coronavirus rates in the Harrogate district.

The district’s seven-day rate is currently 723 per 100,000 population, which is far higher than the current England average of 436.

North Yorkshire County Council will host the virtual meeting tomorrow from 10.30am until 11am, when health officials will brief the media on the situation.

Richard Webb, the corporate director for health and adult services at the council, has urged people in the Harrogate district to think about hygiene. He said:

“Harrogate currently has amongst the highest levels of coronavirus in England. Please keep safe.

“And yes, wash your hands. Wear your face mask to protect others. Think about space and ventilation.”

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Covid case rates in the Harrogate district have been rising since mid September, when the rate was 372.

However, although the number of cases has risen sharply the number of coronavirus patients at Harrogate District Hospital has not risen in the same manner.

As of last Thursday, the hospital was treating 14 covid patients – well below last winter’s peak of 67.

No further details of tomorrow’s meeting have been made available.

Harrogate district has highest covid rate in Yorkshire

The Harrogate district now has the highest covid infection rate in Yorkshire after another rise in cases beyond record levels.

The district’s weekly rate per 100,000 people currently stands at 630, according to the latest Public Health England figures.

The rate is the 19th highest in England and well above the country’s average of 366.

It equates to almost 150 new infections each day. However, hospitalisations and deaths remain stable when compared with previous waves.

As of last Tuesday, there were 13 covid patients at Harrogate District Hospital.

Patient numbers there previously peaked at 67 in January.

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The last time the hospital reported a covid-related death was on September 30 when its toll since the pandemic began reached 189, according to NHS figures.

The Harrogate district’s latest weekly infection rate of 630 cases per 100,000 people is another record for the district, which has seen cases climb steadily since mid-September.

Prior to this period, the previous record was 534 on 18 July.

Speaking recently, Louise Wallace, director of public health for North Yorkshire, said the rise in infections in Harrogate and across the county was being “driven by school-age children”.

The latest figures for Harrogate show infections are highest among five to 19-year-olds, although cases among 40 to 49-year-olds are also high.

91 more covid cases in Harrogate district

91 positive covid cases have been reported in the Harrogate district today, according to Public Health England figures.

It means the district’s seven-day case rate has crept back up above 300 to 309 infections per 100,000 people.

It is the second highest rate in North Yorkshire, with Scarborough’s rate of 318 the highest.

The North Yorkshire rate is 270 and the England rate is 264.

The death toll at Harrogate District Hospital from covid-related illnesses since March 2020 remains at 186.

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