Covid-19 infection rate in Kirklees drops by 15 per cent

But it still remains significantly above the national average, so the council is urging everyone to continue to do all they can to keep each other safe and take the vaccine when it’s their turn.

With 102 people per 100,000 in Kirklees testing positive for Covid-19 over the last seven days, the borough’s infection rate has fallen by 15 per cent since last week. The national average is 50 people per 100,000.

Alongside the rollout of the vaccine, deaths and hospitalisations have been remaining at a much lower level than previously seen.

There were two deaths in local hospitals related to Covid-19, after one death the previous week. There were 13 people admitted to those hospitals in that time, up from ten the previous week.

However, cases of the Covid-19 variant first detected in India have been identified in Kirklees and rates remain high, leading to calls for everyone in the district to play their part to reduce the spread of infection.

Kirklees Council has launched its PCR surge testing and enhanced testing offer, which aims to identify any potential cases of the variant so they can be isolated and more can be learned about how it is spreading in communities.

This week, the council announced an expansion of Kirklees’ surge testing programme in different parts of the district.

A number of temporary pop-up vaccination clinics have also been opening across Kirklees, initially targeting areas that have lowest take up of the vaccine, higher rates of infection and a population at greater risk of serious illness.

A spokesperson said: "Thanks to your fantastic response, we already have positive levels of vaccine uptake in Kirklees with 253,000 local people having had their first dose and 180,000 of those have received their second.

"We’re urging anyone aged 25 and over in Kirklees to book their vaccination now."

Rachel Spencer-Henshall, strategic director for public health at Kirklees Council, said: “It’s really encouraging that we’ve started to see our infection rate drop after weeks of consistently increasing.

“We’ve been working really hard, alongside the NHS, our other partners and local residents in recent weeks to do all we can to tackle Kirklees’ rising infection rates. This is progress, but it certainly doesn’t mean job done because our infection rate is still well above the national average.

“Thankfully, our numbers of deaths and hospital admissions related to Covid-19 currently still remain low but we can reduce this even further and we can all play our part.

“Every vaccination matters. The vaccine rollout is continuing to be a big success in Kirklees and the more people that take it, the safer we all are and the sooner we can get back to normality.

"You’ll be contacted when it’s your turn and anyone aged 25 and over in Kirklees can book their vaccination now.

“Get a PCR test as part of our increased testing and surge testing offer and help us detect and isolate positive cases so we can prevent further infection.

“It’s really important, that even when you have received your vaccine, that you continue to do the basics: hands, face, space as well as letting plenty of fresh air indoors.

“Getting a twice-weekly lateral flow test is a really effective way we can all prevent the spread of the virus. This is really important even if you have been vaccinated.

“Thank you all for playing your part.”