The number of patients at Harrogate District Hospital with coronavirus has more than halved in a week.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust revealed today the hospital currently has 18 coronavirus patients compared with 42 last week — a reduction of 24.

At its peak, there were 67 people in the hospital with the virus and the number had remained stubbornly high in recent weeks despite the declining covid infection rate locally.

Amanda Bloor, accountable officer for North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, told a press briefing today the current covid wave had been “long and hard” on hospital staff but that the situation was finally improving.

“The trend is very much in the downward direction and that’s very positive and where we want to see it.”

Read more:

• One more covid death confirmed at Harrogate hospital

• Harrogate district covid rate hits six-month low

Ms Bloor also commented on the Harrogate Nightingale hospital, which NHS England confirmed this week will be decommissioned and returned to Harrogate Borough Council from next month.

She added:

“It’s the right time to stand the Nightingale down but we’re lucky we had it there. 

“Throughout the last year, it’s been a vital insurance policy in our approach to managing covid.

“It also provided a valuable role supporting routine care as well as safe and fast access to CT scanning.”

A further 12 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the Harrogate district in today’s data from the Office for National Statistics.

It brings the total number of confirmed cases in the district to 7,366 since the pandemic began last year.

Meanwhile, the seven-day infection rate for the district remains at 59.7 cases per 100,000 people, having dropped this week to the lowest it has been since September.

It is above the average for North Yorkshire, which is 47.2. Only Richmondshire has a higher rate, at 63.3, with all other districts in the county having a lower rate.

Read more:

• Schools open for covid testing as classroom return looms
• Nearly 60,000 receive covid vaccine in Harrogate district

At Harrogate District Hospital, no further deaths have been reported in patients who tested positive for coronavirus. The total number of people who have died at the hospital since the beginning of the pandemic remains 165.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust confirmed this week it had 42 in-patients who had tested positive for covid, a drop of three from the previous week. It had discharged 20 patients in the same time period, bringing the total number treated and discharged to 554.

The number of vaccinations administered in the district has risen this week to almost 60,000, according to data from the NHS. Across the UK, people aged 56 and above are now being invited to book appointments for the first dose of their vaccines.

Three more patients who tested positive for covid have died at Harrogate District Hospital.

The deaths were reported on March 3, according to NHS England figures.

It takes the death toll at the hospital since the start of the pandemic to 165.

Read more:

• Nearly 60,000 receive covid vaccine in Harrogate district
• Schools open for covid testing as classroom return looms

Currently, 48 patients who tested positive for covid are being treated in Harrogate hospital according to latest Public Health England data.

A further 12 covid cases have been confirmed in the Harrogate district, according to today’s Public Health England figures.

it takes the total number of cases since last March to 7,354.

Meanwhile, 58,293 people have had the first dose of a covid vaccine in the Harrogate district.

NHS England has started to publish local data with a breakdown of vaccination figures by area and age.

Harrogate District Hospital has recorded another death of a patient who tested positive for covid. It brings the total number of hospital deaths in the district from covid to 160.  The patient’s death was recorded yesterday, February 27.

Across the district another 15 people have tested positive for the virus in the past 24 hours. It means 7,295 people have tested positive for covid since the pandemic began.

Read More: 

• Knaresborough vaccine centre opens at former supermarket
• 48,000 people have covid vaccine in Harrogate district

The 7 day average rate in Harrogate has fallen to 72.1 per 100,000 – this is compared with an England wide average of 96.4.

We’d like to thank everyone who has sent us tributes to their loved ones who have died of covid in the past year. We will be publishing them in the week starting March 8. If you have lost a family or friend to the virus and wish them to be remembered publicly then get in touch on contact@thestrayferret.co.uk and we can tell their story. 

Harrogate District Hospital has recorded another coronavirus death but the case rates have dropped even further in the Harrogate district.

The latest death, which happened on Wednesday but was reported today, takes the hospital to 159 coronavirus deaths.

A further 18 people tested positive for the virus in the Harrogate district today. The total number of cases in the district is now up to 7,280.

Cases in the Harrogate district have remained around the 20 mark for much of the last month and even lower in the last week.

Read more:

• Knaresborough vaccine centre opens at former supermarket
• 48,000 people have covid vaccine in Harrogate district

Those dropping numbers of cases has meant that the district’s seven-day case rate is now at 75 per 100,000 people.

That is below the England average of 102 per 100,000 but just above the North Yorkshire average of 72 per 100,000.

It comes as Knaresborough’s vaccine centre opened today. Depending on supply, it can give out 1,200 jabs in a day.

Two more patients who tested positive for covid have died at Harrogate District Hospital.

According to NHS England figures, the deaths were reported yesterday and Tuesday.

It takes the covid death toll at the hospital to 158.

A total of 45 patients are currently being treated for covid at Harrogate hospital, according to trust statistics.

Meanwhile, a further 12 cases of covid have been confirmed in the Harrogate district today.

Read more:

• Call for inquiry into Harrogate’s Nightingale hospital
• Harrogate Nightingale closure expected to be announced next month

It takes the total number of infections to 7,250 since March.

The district’s seven-day average rate of infection stands at 94 people per 100,000.

Elsewhere, the county average stands at 85 and the national rate is 112.

Killinghall and Hampsthwaite remains the area in the district with the highest number of infections, with 20 in the past seven days.

The Harrogate district has recorded a further 30 covid cases today.

According to Public Health England figures, the number takes the total amount of cases since March to 7,238.

Meanwhile, the district’s seven-day covid rate of infection has fallen to 88 people per 100,000.

The rate for North Yorkshire stands at 83, while the England average is 116.

Read more:

• Call for inquiry into Harrogate’s Nightingale hospital
• Harrogate hospital coronavirus patients down by 19 in a week
• Harrogate district vaccine boost as over 50s prepare for jab

Killinghall and Hampsthwaite remains the area with the most covid cases in the last seven days, with 23 infections.

Boroughbridge and Marton-cum-Grafton is the second highest in the district with 15.

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

Harrogate District Hospital still has more coronavirus patients than during the peak of the first wave but the number has started to drop sharply.

It was revealed at the weekly North Yorkshire coronavirus media briefing today the hospital had 48 coronavirus patients yesterday. Last week there were 65, only a couple away from the record number of 67.

The hospital is the only one in North Yorkshire treating more patients than during the first wave but the situation appears to be heading in the right direction.

It was also revealed today that one more person died at the hospital after testing positive for coronavirus. The latest death, which happened on Sunday, brings the total to 156.

Read more:

• Harrogate district vaccine boost as over 50s prepare for jab
• North Yorkshire police prepare for ‘influx of visitors’ as lockdown eases

The Stray Ferret asked today’s briefing whether public health officials were concerned about the high number of patients shortly before lockdown measures ease.

Amanda Bloor, accountable officer for North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said in response:

“Last week one of my colleagues reported that the numbers had not come down but they have dropped this week from 67 to 48.

“They are still higher than the first wave so we are keeping an eye on it but in terms of the lockdown easing, that is obviously a national decision.

“But we are pleased that the number of coronavirus patients in Harrogate is starting to come down.”

Public Health England confirmed another 13 covid cases in the Harrogate district today.

The district now has a seven-day rate of infection of 89 people per 100,000, which is just above the North Yorkshire average of 83 but below the England average of 117.

A further death from a patient who tested positive for covid has been reported at Harrogate District Hospital.

The death was recorded yesterday according to NHS England figures.

It takes the death toll at the hospital since the start of the pandemic to 148.

Figures from the trust show that 67 patients are currently being treated in hospital for covid.

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Meanwhile, a further 21 people have been discharged in the past week.

The Harrogate district has also recorded a further 26 cases of coronavirus today.

According to today’s Public Health England statistics, it takes the total number of cases since March to 7,112.

The district’s seven-day covid rate has fallen to 92 per 100,000 people.

The North Yorkshire average is 85, while the national rate is 130.