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01
Jul 2020
Harrogate district has second-highest coronavirus death rate in county
The Harrogate district has the second-highest coronavirus death rate in North Yorkshire despite the fact that it is the least deprived area.
This new information seems to defy the national picture where the virus death rate in poorer and BAME communities tends to be much higher.
The director of public health for North Yorkshire's report revealed that only Craven has a marginally higher death rate than the Harrogate district.
Read more:
- Ten days without coronavirus deaths but care home deaths rising
- County council needs more funding to tackle future coronavirus costs
The Harrogate district has a crude mortality rate of 108.4 compared to 112.6 in Craven. The lowest mortality rate in the county is in Selby with 48.3.
Dr Lincoln Sargeant's report points to the high number of care homes and the high proportion of elderly residents in Harrogate to explain the high death rate.
Coronavirus in care homes
All parts of North Yorkshire have care homes and have reported outbreaks but that number continues to grow. Of those outbreaks, 37% occurred in the Harrogate district back in May.
At that time 555 residents had either been in self-isolation or suffering with coronavirus. North Yorkshire County Council has purchased 200 additional beds to provide resilience.
The report also described the testing time in care home settings as a "critical issue." It added that it is too long to support effective public health actions.
Meanwhile, more recent figures from care homes revealed that there have now been 94 deaths in the Harrogate district.
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