The Harrogate district’s seven-day average rate of covid infection has fallen below 40 cases per 100,000 people.

Currently, the average stands at 38 and is at its lowest level since September last year.

Meanwhile, the North Yorkshire rate is 46 and the national rate is 57.

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Sixteen covid cases have been confirmed in the district in the last 24 hours, according to Public Health England figures.

It takes the total number of cases since March to 7,461.

No further covid deaths have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital.

The Harrogate district’s seven-day covid rate has fallen to its lowest level for six months.

According to North Yorkshire County Council figures, the average now stands at 59 infections per 100,000 people.

It’s the lowest rate since September 29, when it stood at 55.

The current county-wide average is 47 and the England rate is 74.

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Today’s Public Health England figures confirmed a further 13 cases of covid in the district.

It takes the total number of infections since the start of the pandemic to 7,342.

No further deaths from patients who tested positive for covid have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital.

The Harrogate district has recorded a further 73 covid cases in the latest daily figures from Public Health England.

The seven-day average is now 317 people per 100,000, which is slightly up on yesterday but well down on the record high of 498 on January 7.

No further covid hospital deaths were announced today.

Meanwhile, NHS England figures show that more than 3.5 million people nationally have now received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

The figure, which is data for up to yesterday, also revealed that 610,684 people have had the first dose in North East and Yorkshire.

There is currently no data available on how many people specifically in the district have been vaccinated.

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It comes as the government has said those aged 70 and over will be invited to be vaccinated this week.

According to the latest census data, 26,278 people in the Harrogate district are aged between 65 and 84 – which is 16% of the local population.

Harrogate district’s coronavirus seven-day rolling average has fallen after hitting a record high, according to latest figures.

Data from North Yorkshire County Council shows the average rate per 100,000 people stands at 285 – a drop from 307 last week.

The data was published yesterday and relates to infection levels in the seven days to November 12.

The district’s rate rose dramatically along with other areas of North Yorkshire in early November.

However, the district still has the second highest rate in the county and remains above the national average of 269.

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Scarborough has the highest weekly rate at 577, which has raised concern among county council bosses.

In another sign that rates in the Harrogate district may have peaked, the R number, which refers to the reproduction rate of the virus, has reduced from 1.6 a week ago to 1.4.

This means every 10 people that test positive in the district will infect another 14.

Last week, Richard Flinton, chief executive of North Yorkshire County Council, warned last week that rates in the county were “soaring”.

He said:

“Infection rates are soaring in many areas.

“We had been doing very well and we went into the current lockdown in the lowest tier of intervention. Sadly, our current rates put us in a very different place.”