York vaccination site to offer jabs to people within 45 minutes travel

A national mass vaccination hub is set to open in York which will offer coronavirus vaccines for people who live within a 45 minute travel time of the city.

The centre will be opened at Moor Lane car park in the city and first vaccinations are set to be given on Monday.

Nimbuscare, an organisation representing 11 GP practices in York, will run the centre. The NHS will send out letters to invite people for appointments.

The site will become the latest vaccine site to open near Harrogate, with another due to set up at Elland Road stadium in Leeds.

Currently, vaccines are being offered to people in the Harrogate district at the Great Yorkshire Showground.

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Professor Mike Holmes, a GP in York, told a City of York Council Executive meeting yesterday that the new centre will offer up to 8,000 extra appointments in its first phase of the expansion of the site.

It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson set a target for all the high priority groups to be offered a vaccine by February 15.

The rollout of the programme will see mass vaccination centres set up across the country.

But, a local care boss in Harrogate said the lack of communication on the programme has left her “frustrated”.

Health officials have urged people in the Harrogate district and across North Yorkshire to be patient as they rollout the vaccine.

Harrogate district records 77 further covid cases

A further 77 cases of coronavirus were recorded in the Harrogate district yesterday.

It takes the total number of cases since the started of the pandemic up to 5,771.

The figures from Public Health England were delayed last night over the processing of deaths data.

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The seven-day case rate for the district has fallen to 354 per 100,000 people. Currently, the national rate stands at 498, while the North Yorkshire average is 344.

Meanwhile, figures from Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust show a further 32 covid patients were discharged from hospital this week.

A total of 367 patients have been discharged since the start of the pandemic.

Harrogate hospital covid death total reaches 117

Another patient who tested positive for coronavirus has died at Harrogate District Hospital, it was revealed today.

According to NHS England, the death was reported on January 13. It takes the total number of deaths at the hospital since March up to 117.

Currently, 47 patients are being treated for coronavirus at the district hospital.

Figures from the NHS also show a total of 433,045 vaccinations have been carried out in North East and Yorkshire up to January 10.

In that time, 370,694 people have received the first dose of the vaccine in the region.

Public Health England’s daily figure for the number of new coronavirus cases in the Harrogate district was delayed today, and was still not available at the time of publication.

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Harrogate district covid cases increase again as 145 reported

A further 145 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the Harrogate district today, according to Public Health England figures.

The number takes the total cases since the start of the pandemic to 5,694.

Meanwhile, the district’s seven-day rate of infection currently stands at 411 people per 100,000.

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The rate for North Yorkshire is 380 and the national figure is 582.

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

Earlier today, North Yorkshire Police said officers would get tougher on covid rule breakers.

Superintendent Mike Walker, gold commander for the police response in the county to covid, said officers had dealt with cases of people coming from outside the county to beauty spots and others holding birthday parties.

 

70 further covid cases as hospital postpones surgeries

A further 70 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the Harrogate district today, as hospital bosses postpone some non-emergency surgeries to deal with the increase in covid patients.

It takes the total amount of cases since the start of the pandemic to 5,549.

The district’s seven-day case rate stands at 426 people per 100,000. The county average is 401 and the national rate is 609.

All three figures are down on yesterday.

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One further death from a patient who tested positive for coronavirus has been confirmed today at Harrogate District Hospital.

It takes the total number of deaths since March to 116.

According to NHS England data, the death was reported on January 10.

Earlier today, the hospital announced it is to postpone some elective surgeries to deal with the rising number of coronavirus patients.

The number of coronavirus patients in the hospital has more than doubled from 19 to 46 in the past week.

Parts of Harrogate district miss out on vaccine centre pledge

Those north of Ripon and living in large parts of Nidderdale are missing out on the government’s vaccine centre pledge.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised that everyone will be within 10 miles of a vaccine centre, but there is still work to do in North Yorkshire.

A map released as part of the UK Covid-19 vaccines delivery plan shows that, while there are two centres in Harrogate, there are no places to get a jab in Ripon or Nidderdale.

Residents in Masham currently have to travel to Leyburn or Northallerton if the NHS calls upon them to be vaccinated.

With the elderly and vulnerable first in line for a vaccine, the government believes that it is important they do not have to travel far.

96% of England’s population currently has a vaccine centre within 10 miles but the government hopes to increase that to 100% by the end of January.

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Its vaccine delivery plan outlines how 206 hospital hubs, 1,200 local vaccination sites and 50 large vaccination centres should be able to make that a reality.

The plan also reveals how in “highly rural areas,” where public transport is an issue, the local vaccination centre will be a mobile unit.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said in a government press conference yesterday:

“The third part of the plan is expanding where you can get vaccinated. As of Friday, 96% of the population in England lived within 10 miles of a vaccination site and we’re expanding the number of vaccination sites further, right across the whole of the UK.

“This expansion will include community pharmacy and roving vaccination centre on top of the hospitals and GP practices and the seven mass vaccination sites that we’ve opened.

“This huge expansion means that by the end of January, everyone will live within 10 miles of a vaccination centre either fixed or roving.”

Have you or a relative struggled to get to the vaccination centre? We’d like to hear from you. Get in touch on contact@thestrayferret.co.uk

Four covid deaths in three days at Harrogate hospital

A further two deaths of patients who tested positive for coronavirus have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital today.

It means four covid-related deaths have been announced at the hospital in the last three days.

According to NHS England statistics, today’s two deaths were recorded on January 9.

Another 50 infections in the Harrogate district were confirmed today by Public Health England.

It takes the Harrogate District’s seven-day infection rate to 494 people per 100,000.

The England average is 611 and the North Yorkshire average is 436.

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More snow warnings for Harrogate district

The Harrogate district is bracing itself for yet more travel disruption after the Met Office today issued another weather warning for snow.

Snow has just melted around the district but could make a comeback as early as Wednesday as today’s milder weather, which reached eight degrees centigrade, makes way for much colder temperatures of around freezing.

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A Met Office yellow warning for ice is in place tonight and another yellow warning for snow has been issued from 5am on Wednesday until 9pm on Thursday.

The Met Office said:

“There is a chance of a period of heavy snow across this region; should it occur it is likely to cause significant travel disruption.

“There is a small chance of travel delays on roads with some stranded vehicles and passengers, along with delayed or cancelled rail and air travel

“There is a slight chance that some rural communities, mainly those at higher elevations, could become cut off.

“There is a small chance that power cuts will occur and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected.”

Heavy snow caused significant disruption and chaos on the roads and for schools on Friday and Saturday.

Snow started falling at about 8am on Friday and did not stop in some places until after sunset.

North Yorkshire County Council’s gritting teams will be out in the Harrogate district tonight and tomorrow.

Harrogate district coronavirus rate nearly 500 per 100,000 people

The level of coronavirus in the Harrogate district has continued to set new records, as the country’s chief medical officer warned of “avoidable deaths”.

A further 83 infections were confirmed in the district today by Public Health England, taking the total since the start of the pandemic to 5,429.

It means the district’s seven-day rate is now 494 cases per 100,000 people.

Although high, the rate is below the England average of 610 cases per 100,000.

The growth rate hit 3.5 for the first time today, which means there have been 3.5 times more infections in the last 14 days than were recorded in the previous 14 days.

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Harrogate District Hospital has not recorded any coronavirus deaths today. However, the hospital did see another two patients who tested positive die yesterday.

Professor Chris Whitty, the country’s chief medical officer, warned this morning the “country is perhaps facing the most serious [battle] yet”.

Urging people to follow restrictions, he said:

“Hospitals are always busy in the winter but the NHS in some parts of the country is currently facing the most dangerous situation anyone can remember.

“If the virus continues on its current trajectory many hospitals will be in real difficulties, and very soon.

“This means that the time people wait for care will continue to increase to potentially unsafe levels.

“Hospitals won’t have room to take redirected emergency cases in regional networks, staff to patient ratios which are already stretched will become unacceptable even in places likes intensive care.

“There will be avoidable deaths.”

Health bosses urge patience on covid vaccine as 76 further cases confirmed

Health bosses have urged people to be patient on the covid vaccine as a further 76 cases have been confirmed in the Harrogate district.

The number takes the total number of coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic up to 5,236, according to Public Health England figures.

The district’s seven-day coronavirus rate stands at 471 per 100,000 people and is the fourth highest in North Yorkshire.

Meanwhile, health bosses in North Yorkshire have urged people to be patient over the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine.

It comes after vulnerable residents told the Stray Ferret earlier this week that they were frustrated at the lack of information on the vaccine locally.

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The jab is currently being offered to the over 80s, frontline health staff and care home workers and residents. Those over 75, over 70, as well as clinically and extremely vulnerable patients, will follow.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson set a target to vaccinate those four priority groups by February 15 following the country being placed into another national lockdown.

But local health officials have asked people to be patient and wait to be invited by their GP for their vaccine appointment as the programme is ramped up nationally.

Amanda Bloor, NHS North Yorkshire CCG accountable officer and chair of the North Yorkshire and York group of NHS and local government chief executives, said: 

“It’s heartening to see patients’ enthusiasm to have the covid vaccine, but it’s important those at most risk of falling seriously ill and dying from coronavirus are vaccinated first.

“Your GP surgery is following the necessary guidance and will be in touch with you when it’s your turn to be vaccinated – please do not contact them.”

Meanwhile, Harrogate District Hospital is currently treating 24 patients who tested positive for coronavirus.

The number is an increase on the 16 which the trust reported last week.

According to NHS England figures, a further patient who tested positive for covid died at the hospital on January 6. It takes the total number of deaths at the hospital since March up to 111.

The hospital has treated and discharged 335 people diagnosed with covid – 11 of these since last week – but its current number of in-patients with covid has risen from 16 on New Year’s Eve to 28 yesterday.