Kirklees covid infection rate continues to drop with tier restrictions review due

The latest data shows that in the last seven days 183 per 100,000 people in Kirklees tested positive for COVID-19, compared to last week when it was 243 per 100,000 people.

This, on top of the 39 per cent drop in infection rates last week has seen Kirklees’ figures now falling out of the top 40 highest in the country.

The borough now has the 45th highest rates of infection.

However, there were still 807 new positive COVID-19 cases in the borough over the last seven days, and rates remain above the national average.

There were 22 COVID-19-related Kirklees deaths in the last week. A total of 75 Kirklees people have also been admitted to hospital in the last week. These figures are taken from hospitals in Kirklees, Wakefield and Calderdale.

The latest information also shows that 148 Kirklees schools (116 primary, 21 secondary, three all-through/middle, six all-through special, two Pupil Referral Unit schools) currently have confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases.

There are a total of 5,814 pupils in Kirklees that are either suspected/confirmed COVID-19 cases or are self-isolating and are not in school as a result. 149 are confirmed positive cases.

Alongside the rest of West Yorkshire, Kirklees is currently under Tier 3 COVID-19 restrictions. This will next be reviewed on 16 December.

Rachel Spencer-Henshall, Strategic Director for Public Health at Kirklees Council said: “The progress we’ve made in bringing our COVID-19 infection rates down over the last four weeks is a credit to everyone across Kirklees and it shows that we can do this by all playing our part.

“We have more than halved our weekly rates of COVID-19 infection since the beginning of November. It’s an incredible effort and a huge step forward, but we remain a long way off where we need to be.

“Our rates have effectively dropped to where they were at the start of October, but they are still approximately seven times higher than they were in the summer months. We have to bring our infection rates down further.

“As a resident, your role in this is crucial. Play your part by following 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.

“The vaccine is now being rolled out across the country by the NHS and the first people received it this week. It’s the hope we’ve been waiting for, but it’s going to take time. In the meantime, we need to make sure we do not become complacent.

“If we all continue to play our part, we’ll save more lives and get the freedoms we all miss back. Thank you for everything you are doing.”