Dewsbury and Batley wards monitored as health chiefs confirm COVID-19 cases increasing in two more areas

And they are making plans to deal with a second wave if it comes.

Five wards in Batley and Dewsbury remain under local coronavirus restrictions imposed by the Government.

But Consultant in Public Health Emily Parry-Harries said the most recent data available to Kirklees Council indicated increasing levels of Covid-19 in the borough.

That, allied to an inability to properly test people and receive speedy results, is causing concern.

She revealed at a virtual meeting of the Health and Wellbeing Board that the authority was facing “significant costs” associated with providing PPE and that in care homes all residents are being tested monthly, and staff weekly.

As of September 10 there had been a total of 3,260 confirmed cases in Kirklees, with 188 in the last week alone.

Ms Parry-Harries said that represented highest number of positive test results in the borough for quite some time, “so things are creeping back up”.

And she revealed that whilst Kirklees had slipped out of the top ten of England’s to a weekly ranking of 26 she urged people to recognise that the situation had not necessarily improved in the district.

“It’s because things have got worse elsewhere.

“Having said that we are not seeing the massively rapid upsurge in numbers that places like Bolton are seeing. We are seeing a steadier increase in Kirklees.

“So we are doing something right but let’s not be too congratulatory.”

That increase follows “a relatively flat line” up to a couple of weeks ago and is broadly similar to other places in the country.

She added: “We have a weekly process of reviewing the data and looking at where we are seeing increases in our numbers and then deploying community protection plans in particular areas.

“We currently have work ongoing in Batley, in Dewsbury and we are watching another couple of areas where it looks like numbers are going up.

“We are trying to do that in a very planned and reflective manner so that we’re not just knee-jerking and bouncing about all over the place. We’re looking for trends and looking to deploy resources for a couple of weeks.”

High demand for testing at a national level has also impacted on Kirklees.

Ms Parry-Harries said it was a struggle to secure the necessary testing capacity needed in the borough.

That lack of capacity means testing centres in Kirklees are operating on an appointment-only basis.

She said: “It’s not just about being able to get the test and have the swab and have people present for testing; it’s about the capacity in the labs to process those tests.

“It’s absolutely beyond our control and the work is being done nationally to rectify those issues.”

She said the council’s message was that residents should only seek a test if they were symptomatic.

Six months into its response to the pandemic Ms Parry-Harries said the council had learnt “an enormous amount” about how to tackle the virus.

She said early engagement with communities was key to minimising possible wider outbreaks as well as communicating the complex and complicated terminology associated with the coronavirus as clearly as possible.

And the message remains that hand-washing is “the most important thing that we can have in our tool kit to help us deal with Covid” along with social distancing, ensuring people isolate if they become symptomatic, people limiting their social contact, and the use of face coverings.