Public Health England Archives - Page 6 of 7

Biggest daily covid increase in Harrogate district for 6 weeks

Another 53 people in the Harrogate district have tested positive for coronavirus — the largest daily increase for six weeks.

Today’s figure from Public Health England is the highest since November 16, when 69 infections were recorded.

The highest figure since the start of the pandemic remains 95 on November 9, shortly after the second lockdown began.

In another worrying development, the district’s R number has increased again from 1.1 to 1.2, which means every 10 people infected will pass the virus on to another 12.

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The seven-day rate of infection for the district has risen to 126 people per 100,000. It remains the lowest in North Yorkshire.

The county average is 189 and the England average is 387.

The news comes on the day North Yorkshire moved into tier three restrictions, forcing the closure of all pubs and restaurants, except for takeaways.

Tier review: Harrogate district set for tougher restrictions

The Harrogate district looks set to move to a higher tier, and possibly even tier four, following a flurry of developments this afternoon.

Sharon Stolz, director of public health at City of York Council, told ITV News it was “inevitable” the city would face tougher restrictions in the coming days.

Any changes affecting York would also apply to the Harrogate district unless the government changes its policy of maintaining the same tier level across North Yorkshire.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock is due to announce the outcome of the latest tier review tomorrow afternoon.

North Yorkshire is in tier two but Ms Stolz said this was “no longer sufficient to contain the spread of the virus”.

She said although the city had not seen large outbreaks yet, the numbers were creeping up.

Her comments came on the day the R number for the Harrogate district rose above one for the first time in over a month.

Ms Stolz added:

“Without some additional restrictions coming in, my worry is that we will just see the virus spread and we will start to see large outbreaks.

“So I think it is inevitable there will be some announcement tomorrow of additional restrictions for York.”

Also today, Kevin Hollinrake, the Conservative MP for Thirsk and Malton said he still wanted a “super local approach” that would allow some parts of the county to stay in tier two but added:

“Regrettably, I think we can reasonably expect York and North Yorkshire to enter a higher tier in the next few days, my best guess being the early hours of New Year’s Day.

“In terms of which tier, it appears that infection rates are not dropping significantly in those areas currently under tier three restrictions.

“My view then, and I speak as the parent of a child taking their A levels this year, I would prefer a shorter, sharper, shock with wider closure of the economy together with extended financial support for businesses and with schools providing a full timetable on an online-only basis until the end of January.

“At that point, with vaccinations starting to have meaningful effect we should be through the worst of this desperately damaging crisis.”

Mr Hollinrake’s comments came after a call today with North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, which represents groups fighting covid in the county.

The forum has called an urgent media briefing for tomorrow amid growing speculation of a change of tier.

R number rises to 1 in Harrogate district

A further 19 cases of coronavirus have been reported in the Harrogate district today.

Today’s figures from Public Health England take the district’s total number of infections since the start of the pandemic to 4,176.

The seven-day average rate of infection for the district has risen to 118 per 100,000. But it still remains considerably lower than the national average of 366.

The Harrogate district has the lowest rate of the seven local authority areas in North Yorkshire. The area with the highest rate is Scarborough with 238.

The R number in the Harrogate district has risen to one, which means the spread of the covid virus is no longer shrinking.

Every 10 people infected pass on the virus to another 10.

The total number of coronavirus deaths at Harrogate District Hospital remains at 106. This has not risen since December 10.

Just 11 new covid infections – but R number rises again

Just 11 new covid infections were reported today in the Harrogate district by Public Health England.

The figure is the joint second lowest daily amount since the start of the second wave of the pandemic.

However, yesterday’s figure of 36 was the highest since November 23.

Although the daily statistics have varied considerably recently, the trend in the Harrogate district is definitely upwards.

The R number, which was just 0.4 last weekend, went up again today to 0.7. This means every 10 people infected will pass the virus on to another seven.

The district’s seven-day average rate of infection to December 14 is 93 people per 100,000. This compares with 116 and 235 in North Yorkshire and England.

North Yorkshire remained in tier two today in the government’s first review of the tier system since the second lockdown.

R number rises for second time this week in Harrogate district

The R number, which refers to how quickly the covid virus reproduces, has increased for the second time this week in the Harrogate district.

The number was 0.4 at the weekend but is now 0.6, which means every 10 people infected with coronavirus pass it on to another six.

The latest statistics, however, present mixed messages as the government prepares to announce any changes to tiers tomorrow.

Today’s latest daily figure from Public Health England revealed there had been just 19 new infections in the district.

And the latest seven-day rolling average rate of infection for the district is now down to 82 people per 100,000. This is based on data for the seven days to December 12.

The North Yorkshire average is 101 and the England average is 203.

While infection rates have been rocketing in London and the south-east, they seem much steadier here.

It seems likely North Yorkshire will remain in tier two when the announcement is made tomorrow.

Just 21 new coronavirus cases in Harrogate district

A further 21 coronavirus cases were confirmed in the Harrogate District in the last 24 hours, according to Public Health England figures.

It takes the total amount of cases since the start of the pandemic up to 3,782.

Meanwhile, the district’s seven-day average, which is the rate up to December 6, increased to 95 per 100,000 people.

The county-wide rate stands at 104, below the national average of 154.

It comes as seven sites across North Yorkshire are set to offer the coronavirus vaccine next week.

North Yorkshire CCG, which buys medical services for the county, will provide further details when they are finalised.

Covid rate rises again in Harrogate district

The coronavirus rate of infection for the Harrogate district has increased for the first time in almost a month.

The seven-day average rate of infection peaked at 303 people per 100,000 on 9 November.

It then fell rapidly to 85 on 30 November, according to the data from Public Health England.

But yesterday’s latest figure, which is for the seven days to December 3, showed the rate had gone up on three consecutive days and is now 95.

That is still below the North Yorkshire average of 105 and the England average of 148.

But it does suggest the sharp downwards trend went into reverse before the end of lockdown on December 2.

The district’s R number, which refers to the rate at which the virus is spreading, remains low at 0.4.

This means every 10 people infected will pass it on to another four.

Killinghall and Hampsthwaite is still the local area with the most positive cases, having recorded 21 in the last seven days.

Just 23 covid infections today as R number falls to 0.8

Just 23 coronavirus infections for the Harrogate district have been announced today by Public Health England.

The figure is well below the record 95 that occurred on November 9 and continues the recent sharp downward trend.

In more good news, the district’s R number, which refers to the rate of spread of the virus, has once again fallen, from 0.9 to 0.8.

It means every 10 people with covid will infect eight, so the virus is declining in the district as a whole.

The seven-day average rate of infection has fallen to 128 per 100,000 people. It was over 300 three weeks ago.

The England average is 188 and the North Yorkshire average is 164.

Harrogate was placed in tier two restrictions today but this will be reviewed in two weeks time.

R number falls below 1 in the Harrogate district

The R number has fallen below one in the Harrogate district for the first time since the second wave of the pandemic took off.

The number has fallen to 0.9 — anything below one means the spread of the virus is declining.

Infection rates have fallen dramatically in the second half of November and are now lower than they were at the start of lockdown.

Public Health England confirmed another 36 infections in the district today.

However, leading public health figures suggested at a media briefing today of North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, a partnership of agencies that tackles emergencies, the county could be put in tier two or even tier three tomorrow.

However, the national government will decide.

Such a move would devastate many pubs that do not serve substantial meals, as they would be unable to open.

Today’s briefing also revealed Harrogate District Hospital currently has 31 covid patients, which is four more than last week.

North Yorkshire as a whole has 272 covid patients. There were 302 at the peak of the first wave of the pandemic in spring.

No deaths were reported at Harrogate District Hospital today. However, there were four in the previous three days, bringing the total to 98.

A total of 54 care homes in the county currently have covid outbreaks.

Pupil attendance in schools is 87 per cent.

Central Harrogate has had the most positive cases in the Harrogate district in the last seven days, with 23.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Pateley Bridge and Nidd Valley has had none.

Will falling covid rate save Harrogate district from tier 2?

Covid rates in the Harrogate district and North Yorkshire overall are continuing to fall sharply — but will it be enough to prevent the county moving into tier two restrictions next week?

Public Health England reported just 21 infections for the district today, which followed 11 announced yesterday.

The district’s seven-day average rate of infections is now 157 per 100,000 people — about half of what it was a fortnight ago.

North Yorkshire’s current rate is 196. The England rate is 207.

The government is due to reveal on Thursday which tiers each area will be in.

It would appear North Yorkshire is likely to be in tier one or tier two — and the difference between the two is vast.

In tier one, pubs and restaurants can open with table service; in tier two, they can only open if they serve substantial meals and there is no household mixing indoors.

The decision could therefore determine whether many hospitality businesses stay open — and possibly even survive.