Tomorrow morning’s vaccinations at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate and Ripon racecourse have been postponed due to the snow forecast.
North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group said today people with appointments scheduled between 8am and 12.45pm will be contacted and booked in at the next available time.
However, appointments due for tomorrow afternoon are still due to go ahead as planned.
Read more:
- Harrogate people don’t have to travel to York for vaccine, say health bosses
- Harrogate district on track to achieve February 15 vaccine deadline
The Ripon site is due to open this week.
Health bosses said the decision was taken in the interests of patient safety.
A statement from the CCG said:
“GP practices in the Harrogate district are currently in the process of contacting all affected patients directly and will be booking those patients in to the next available clinics.”
A yellow weather warning for snow and ice is currently in place for the district between 10pm tonight and 11.59pm tomorrow, according to the Met Office.
A further 41 coronavirus cases in the Harrogate districtA further 41 cases of coronavirus have been reported in the Harrogate district, according to Public Health England figures.
It takes the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic up to 6,558.
The district’s seven-day covid rate has also fallen to 174 per 100,000 people.
Read more:
- Covid: infections fall but hospital admissions hit new high
- Fifteen Harrogate postal workers self-isolating after covid case
The county-wide rate stands at 170, while the national average is 308.
Meanwhile, a further death from a patient who tested positive for covid has been reported at Harrogate District Hospital.
It takes the death toll at the hospital up to 124. The death was recorded on January 28, according to NHS England statistics.
How much Harrogate council taxpayers could be paying in 2021Harrogate district taxpayers could face paying a council tax bill of more than £2,000 this coming year.
Officials at Harrogate Borough Council, North Yorkshire County Council and North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner are set to decide on their proposals in February.
In total, if approved, the final bill for the 2021/22 financial year would come tot £2,007.17 – a 3% increase on last year.
Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, said there had “never been a more difficult time” to ask the public to pay more for council services.
Each authority has tabled an increase in its share and will vote individually on its proposal.
A breakdown of the potential council tax bill for Harrogate district in 2021/22.
Local town and parish councils will also levy a parish precept on the bill..
In Ripon, local councillors decided to freeze the precept for 2021/22 meaning residents will pay £71.89 to the city council.
Meanwhile, Knaresborough Town Council has agreed a 1.99% increase in its precept to around £25 for a band D property.
Uncertainty over council funding
The hike in council tax comes as local authorities face a strain on resources amid the coronavirus pandemic and uncertainty over future funding.
Gary Fielding, corporate director of resources at the county council, told councillors recently that there “had never been more uncertainty than there is at the moment” for councils.
Read more:
- County council leaders warn of council tax rise to cover covid costs
- £4.1 million spent on PPE in North Yorkshire
- Harrogate council proposes council tax hike
Meanwhile, Cllr Les told an executive meeting of the county council that there had never been a tougher time for the council to make a decision on increasing council tax.
He said:
“I don’t think there has ever been a more difficult time for us to do this exercise.
“Never have our services been more needed, but equally never has the economy and society been under such pressure.
“So we really need to get the balance right between what we need to deliver in services and what the community of North Yorkshire can afford to pay for those services.”
He added that the council will continue to lobby government for fairer funding following a decade of cuts to local authority grants.
The pandemic has forced councils to think more carefully about finances.
So far, the county council has spent £80 million responding to covid. Meanwhile the borough council faces a £5.9 million cost due to losses in car parking and leisure centre revenue.
This has left officials proposing to hike council tax and dip into reserves to balance the books.
The county council plans to use £8.2 million of its own funds to offset a shortfall next year, but officials have warned it cannot continue to use its reserves in the long run.
North Yorkshire County Council, Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner will make decisions on their budgets next month.
Covid: infections fall but hospital admissions hit new highThe Harrogate district’s seven-day covid rate of infection has fallen below 200 people per 100,000 for the first time this year — but the hospital is now treating a record number of patients.
The infection rate now stands at 189 people per 100,000. It had not been below 200 since December 28.
But the number of patients being treated at Harrogate District Hospital has increased to 57.
The figure is an all-time high since the pandemic started although no further deaths have been reported today at the hospital.
David Mattinson, medical registrar on one of the hospital’s covid wards, tweeted today it had been “exceptionally busy” since Christmas and urged people to stay at home.
David Mattinson, medical registrar on one of the covid wards (centre of the photo), said the hospital has been “exceptionally busy” since Christmas. Picture: Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.
Health bosses said yesterday hospitals across the county were treating more people than in the first wave.
A further 43 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the Harrogate district today by Public Health England. It takes the total number of cases since March to 6,517.
Read more:
- Covid patients at Harrogate hospital hits record high
- Harrogate district on track to achieve February 15 vaccine deadline
Call for volunteers to help Ripon vaccination site
Volunteers are needed to support the Ripon vaccination centre, which is expected to open next month.
Mashamshire Community Office, a charity which offers information and advice in the town, is looking for a team of marshals for the site, which will be at Ripon racecourse.
Health bosses confirmed the location of the vaccination site yesterday.
Volunteers are likely to be needed from the second week of February, a post on the Kirkby Malzeard and Masham Surgery website said.
The post said days may vary, but volunteers are likely to be required on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Read more:
- Vaccination site to be opened at Ripon racecourse
- Harrogate district on track to achieve February 15 vaccine deadline
Two sessions will be held at the site from 8am until 1.15pm and 1pm to 6pm. Ten volunteers will be needed per session.
All personal protective equipment and hi-vis will be provided and no DBS check is required.
Duties will include directing traffic and guiding people inside the site.
Anyone interested should contact Mashamshire Community Office on mco@visitmasham.com.
72 per cent of North Yorkshire lockdown fines issued to menMore than seven out of 10 fines for breaches of lockdown restrictions in North Yorkshire have been handed to men, according to police figures.
North Yorkshire Police revealed yesterday it has issued 328 fixed penalty notices since the third lockdown started.
Of that number, 235 have been to men — 72 per cent of all fines issued so far. Ninety-three have been to women.
Nearly half of the fines have been to people aged 18 to 25.
A total of 160 have been issued for indoor gatherings, some of which have been for house parties.
Read more:
- Lockdown fear needs to be restored, says senior police officer
- Harrogate district on track to achieve vaccine deadline
- Social media campaign to defy lockdown raises concern
Superintendent Mike Walker said officers have to deal with reports of house parties “every night of the week”, mainly in the Scarborough district and York.
Total number of lockdown fines issued by North Yorkshire Police since January 6. Data: North Yorkshire Police.
In Harrogate, 22 of the 34 fixed penalty notices since the third lockdown began on January 6 have been issued for being outside without good reason.
Police have handed 27 of the fines to men. However, most of the breaches have been committed by people from outside the area with just 11 notices given to local residents.
It comes as police pledged to get tougher on those who breach lockdown restrictions and said they would no longer “waste time” with rule breakers.
Superintendent Mike Walker, North Yorkshire Police.
Yesterday Superintendent Walker told a meeting of North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, the partnership organisation that leads the county’s response to covid, that officers continued to issue fines but had seen an improvement in the last week.
A total of 87 fines were handed out across the county in week three of lockdown compared with 134 in week two. He said:
“We are starting to see slightly better compliance.
“But we are still having to issue fixed penalty notices to people who do not believe that the regulations are there to follow.”
He added he felt the message to stay at home was getting through to most people, but a minority do not feel it applies to them.
53 more covid cases in Harrogate district as infection rate declines“People know what they should be doing and they know why they should be doing it, but they choose to ignore the warnings and the risks and choose to ignore the fact that over 100,000 people have died from the virus.
“They think that what they want to is more important or they think they won’t catch it.
“In my opinion, this is incredibly short-sighted, naive and plain wrong. This is a highly contagious and deadly virus. We’ve all seen the damage it can do and it does not discriminate.
“It only takes one contact with one contagious person who may be asymptomatic to contract the virus and potentially pass it on, an action which may end up with someone losing their life.”
A further 53 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the Harrogate district, according to today’s Public Health England figures.
It takes the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic to 6,474.
The district’s covid rate has fallen to 208 per 100,000 people. It was 228 yesterday.
The county-wide average stands at 199, while the England rate is 351.
Read more:
- Vaccination site to be opened at Ripon racecourse
- Harrogate district on track to achieve February 15 vaccine deadline
No further deaths have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital.
Meanwhile, county council officials have said 87 care homes across the county have one or more positive covid cases.
Of the 235 care homes and extra care facilities in North Yorkshire, 64 have outbreaks, which is defined as two or more cases.
Two have confirmed a large outbreak, which is 10 or more infections – a drop from nine last week.
The number of staff and residents who have coronavirus have fallen to 143 from 258 last week.
Covid patients at Harrogate hospital hits record highHospital admissions for people with coronavirus at Harrogate District Hospital have hit a record high.
Health bosses said today the hospital currently has 54 covid patients — 10 more than last week.
According to latest government hospital admissions data, which runs up to January 19, the previous high was 48 on January 13.
A total of 504 patients are being treated for covid across North Yorkshire’s hospitals in Harrogate, York, Scarborough and South Tees. Sixty-one are in intensive care.
By comparison, the same hospitals had 302 covid patients at the peak of the first lockdown last year.
Read more:
- Coronavirus surge forces Harrogate hospital to postpone surgeries
- Harrogate district on track to achieve February 15 vaccine deadline
Amanda Bloor, accountable officer at North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, revealed the numbers at a press briefing today by North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, which represents organisations fighting covid.
She said the numbers in hospital were “the highest they have ever been”.
Ms Bloor said the latest figures, including the UK reaching 100,000 covid deaths yesterday, should be a reminder of what the virus can do to communities. She added:
“How much more of a stark message do we need around North Yorkshire and York around the seriousness of the virus and the consequence that it can reek on our communities and our residents.
“Surely those facts alone, if nothing else, should focus everybody’s behaviour now on complying with the guidance.”
Harrogate hospital has suspended some non-emergency surgeries in an effort to free up bed space and staff to deal with patients.
Hospitals across the county have surge plans in place to deal with an increase in covid patients.
A trust spokesperson said the admissions figure given today was down on a few days ago.
Harrogate district on track to achieve February 15 vaccine deadlineHealth 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.
Read more:
- Harrogate people don’t have to travel to York for vaccine, say health bosses
- Vaccination site to be opened at Ripon racecourse
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 racecourseA 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.
Read more: