Two Harrogate district residents who have recently been vaccinated have heaped praise on the team behind the local vaccination centre.

David Ridgway and David Hill got their coronavirus jabs at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate this month.

Both residents contacted the Stray Ferret with the hope that their experiences will encourage anyone who is apprehensive.

Mr Ridgway, who lives in Pateley Bridge with his wife, said over a video call (above):

“They deserve a big round of applause. For anybody who is maybe a little bit apprehensive about going, don’t worry at all.

“It’s a very easy and relaxed experience with plenty of happy, smiling faces.”

Read more:

• Harrogate district on track to achieve vaccine deadline
• Covid patients at Harrogate hospital hits record high

Mr Hill, who lives in Harrogate, also told the Stray Ferret:

“Other than a sore arm for a couple of days I had no side effects other than mentally feeling ‘over the moon’!

“The whole process was brilliantly organised so much so I told our MP Andrew Jones it had made me feel proud to be British.

“I also rang my GP surgery telling them the same story and they were pleased to receive the call.”

A 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.

The 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

Harrogate district businesses will be fined if they defy the national lockdown to take part in the ‘Great Reopening’.

Those leading North Yorkshire’s coronavirus response have picked up on a growing movement on social media. Organisers encourage people to approach shops and restaurants in their area with posters.

They are concerned of the impact on coronavirus infection rates and the NHS if people take part this Saturday.

Ten thousand people have joined the national group called the ‘Great Reopening’ on messaging app Telegram.

Read more:

• Vaccination site to be open at Ripon racecourse
• Harrogate district on track to achieve vaccine deadline

Richard Webb, director of adult care at North Yorkshire County Council, told a North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum meeting that the council, police and other agencies would not hesitate to take action.

He said:

“Yesterday we were made aware of a campaign doing the rounds across the north of England which urges business to have what they’ve called a great reopening on January 30.

“First of all, can I thank all North Yorkshire businesses for complying with the closure requirements during lockdown. I know how tough it is for so many businesses both economically and on your health and wellbeing.

“My plea to all businesses is to ignore this campaign. There will be no great reopening on January 30. I would ask that you continue to act as you have been doing throughout this lockdown and before that and that we fight together this deadly virus.

“My warning to those who choose to take part in this campaign, the enforcement authorities the police, trading standards, environmental health and others will have no choice but to take enforcement action against you.”

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.

Another patient who tested positive for coronavirus has died at Harrogate District Hospital, according to NHS England figures today.

The death, which was reported on Sunday, takes the covid death toll at the hospital to 123.

It comes as more than 100,000 people have died nationally after a further 1,631 were recorded across the UK in today’s daily figures.

Read more:

• Harrogate people don’t have to travel to York for vaccine, say health bosses
• Ripon to get its own coronavirus vaccination site

Today also saw a further 29 cases of covid confirmed in the Harrogate district by Public Health England.

It takes the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic to 6,421

The district’s seven-day covid rate has fallen again to 228 people per 100,000.

The county-wide average stands at 208, while the England rate is 369.

The number of new covid cases in Killinghall and Hampsthwaite is more than double that of anywhere else in the Harrogate district.

North Yorkshire County Council statistics today revealed a total of 62 cases have been recorded in the two villages in the last seven days.

The next highest sub-districts locally are Ripon South and East and Starbeck, which both have had 28 cases.

The figure for Killinghall and Hampsthwaite is second in all of North Yorkshire only to Malton and Norton, which has registered 63 infections.

It comes as a further 39 infections were recorded in the district, according to today’s Public Health England data.

Read more:

• 52,500 clinically vulnerable people vaccinated in North Yorkshire, says Harrogate MP
• Harrogate people don’t have to travel to York for vaccine, say health bosses
• Ripon to get its own coronavirus vaccination site

It takes the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic to 6,392.

Meanwhile, the district’s seven-day covid rate has fallen to 245 people per 100,000.

The county-wide rate is 222 and the national average stands at 382.

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

Stray Kitchen is our column all about food written by renowned local produce expert, food writer and chef, Stephanie Moon. Stephanie is a champion of food produced in the UK and particularly in Yorkshire and the Harrogate district. 

When I was a kid, I loved sledging. We had a field on the farm where you could really pick up some speed and hurtle down the hill holding your nerve before you caused yourself to stop in an unladylike crash. The alternative was to continue on and be impaled on a barbed wire fence below!

As Harrogate has been covered in snow, it has given lockdown a magical quality that takes me right back to the bright red faces of my sledging youth. With big smiles, wet socks, and old feed bags full of straw that was the farmers’ kids’ sledges.

It seems so weird to be stuck at home again! This lockdown is the toughest I am sure for many, and what we are all needing right now is comfort food and nostalgia – and lots of it. It could be a heart-warming crumble & custard or a simple bubbling cheese-on-toast with a hearty splash of Henderson’s relish, that famous Sheffield sauce. I have just had a big bowl of sausage & mash with gravy for lunch and the local farm shop sausages did the trick – I am feeling nostalgic in the snow.

I think the birds in my garden are loving the fact the Moon’s All-You-Can-Eat buffet on my bird feeders is in full throttle – niger seed and sunflower seeds meet fat blocks and peanuts – I must admit feeding the birds this lockdown has been a great pleasure (once a caterer always a caterer, we chefs are feeders!). I have learnt what each species likes now and like a demanding guest with the goldfinch, nuthatch and woodpecker being regular dinners to impress. With all this coming and going it is the busiest bird restaurant for miles around.

Under all the snow lies the green shoots of spring. They seem so far away right now and the thoughts of sitting at a table with the family a distant memory that I long to recreate. A big family meal with all the laughter and joy that will bring is my own motivation to stay the course and do our bit to get through this lockdown.

If you are looking for some foodie ideas to get through lockdown, a great idea for a seasonal food is our friend forced rhubarb. A great way to cook it is very simply:

Cut your rhubarb into sticks about 3 inches long, place them on a tray and sprinkle over some caster sugar before you place on a tin foil lid to the tray – place this in an oven at 180C for 8-10 mins and your rhubarb will be perfectly cooked; it won’t be mushy like when you cook it in a pot on the stove. Serve with lashings of custard or some heathy yoghurt and granola. Either way – yum!

So my advice now is to find your comfort food, no matter how simple, and take a moment to look ahead to when we can sit with family again. Lord knows it does us all good from time to time.

Stay safe,

Steph x

A further 45 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the Harrogate district, according to today’s Public Health England figures.

It takes the number of cases since the start of the pandemic up to 6,268.

One more death from a patient who tested positive for coronavirus has been reported at Harrogate District Hospital.

The death was recorded on January 20, according to NHS England figures, and takes the total number since March up to 122.

Read more:

• All Harrogate district care homes to get vaccine this week
• Harrogate people don’t have to travel to York for vaccine, say health bosses
• Ripon to get its own coronavirus vaccination site

Meanwhile, the seven-day covid rate in the district has fallen to 284 cases per 100,000 people.

The county-wide rate is 257 and the national average 434.

The Harrogate district’s seven-day covid rate of infection has fallen below 300 people per 100,000 for the first time this year.

The rate now stands at 290 per 100,000 people — well below the high of 497 on January 7, according to North Yorkshire County Council figures.

It’s the first time the rate has fallen below 300 since December 31.

The North Yorkshire average stands at 272 and the England rate is 447.

Meanwhile, a further 32 patients who tested positive for coronavirus have been discharged from Harrogate District Hospital.

Read more:

• All Harrogate district care homes to get vaccine this week
• Harrogate people don’t have to travel to York for vaccine, say health bosses
• Ripon to get its own coronavirus vaccination site

Latest figures from Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust show a total of 399 people have been discharged from the hospital since the start of the pandemic in March.

Statistics from the trust also reveal 41 patients are currently being treated for covid.

It comes as a further 60 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the Harrogate district, according to today’s Public Health England data.

The number takes the total amount of cases since March last year to 6,223.