Kirklees covid infection falls by 22 per cent but works still to do says health chief

The latest data shows that in the last seven days 431 per 100,000 people in Kirklees tested positive for COVID-19, compared to last week when it was 555 per 100,000 people.

This shows a drop in infections rates by 22 per cent, but Kirklees’ figures remain the fifth highest in the country.

There were 1,897 new positive COVID-19 cases in the borough over the last seven days with cases in every single ward. You can view all the data on the online dashboard.

In the period there were 22 COVID-19-related Kirklees deaths in the last week.

A total of 87 Kirklees people have been admitted to hospital in the last week. Both of these figures are down from last week alongside infection rates, but further improvement is needed. These figures are taken from hospitals in Kirklees, Wakefield and Calderdale.

The latest information also shows that 165 Kirklees schools (130 primary, 23 secondary, three all-through/middle, six all-through special, three Pupil Referral Unit schools) currently have confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases.

There are a total of 11,216 pupils in Kirklees that are either suspected/confirmed COVID-19 cases or are self-isolating and are not in school as a result. 303 are confirmed positive cases.

Rachel Spencer-Henshall, Strategic Director for Public Health at Kirklees Council said: “Over the last two weeks we’ve seen some real progress and we do appear to be turning a corner.

“Our infection rates dropped by 22 per cent over the last seven days. We are also beginning to see fewer hospitalisations and, crucially, fewer people have died in COVID-19 related circumstances.

“It’s a great sign that we’re heading in the right direction, but we need to build on this and see a sustained reduction in cases and hospitalisations. Our rates are the fifth highest in the country which shows the major challenge we still face. We need to bring our rates down even further so we can save lives, ease pressure on health services and get Kirklees out of Tier 3 restrictions as soon as possible. We all have a part to play in doing this.

“The council will continue with its work in communities and will now support this with a local test and trace system which we’ll launch soon and Kirklees now has cross-party support to start mass COVID-19 testing as soon as we can get this arranged with Government.

“What we need residents to do is follow the Tier 3 restrictions as well as continuing to do the basics such as regular hand-washing, social distancing, wearing a face covering and self-isolating and getting tested if you have symptoms.

“I know how tough restrictions are, especially as we build up to Christmas, but if we all continue to play our part, we’ll get where we need to be.”