Covid-19 infection rate in Kirklees remains among highest in country

With 55 people per 100,000 in Kirklees testing positive for Covid-19 over the last seven days, the borough’s infection rate has dropped by 1.2 per cent since the previous week. The national average is 22 people per 100,000.

There were 242 new confirmed positive cases in the last week in Kirklees, a slight decrease from the week before when there were 243.

212,000 people in Kirklees have received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine and 123,000 of those have had their second. Alongside the rollout of the vaccine, deaths and hospitalisations have been steadily falling and are remaining at a much lower level.

There were no deaths in local hospitals related to Covid-19, down from one in the previous week. The number of people being treated with the virus in those hospitals is seven, down from 11 the week before.

The council is urging anyone aged 38 and over in Kirklees to book their vaccination now.

Rachel Spencer-Henshall, strategic director for public health at Kirklees Council, said: “We are showing progress, which is great news, but Kirklees’ infection rate is still one of the highest in the country and it has to come down further and faster than it currently is.

“The number of people in local hospitals has dropped significantly alongside the rollout of the vaccine and remains at a low level and I’m really pleased to say there were no deaths from Covid-19 in the last week.

“We are heading in the right direction and there’s so much to look forward to as we move out of restrictions in line with the national roadmap out of lockdown.

“However, we absolutely have to remember that this pandemic is not over. Kirklees’ infection rate is one of the highest in England and, at its current level, presents a risk.

"As more and more restrictions are lifted, we have to make sure our infection rate does not increase and lead to more people being admitted to hospital or losing their lives to Covid-19.

“We’re at a crucial point in the pandemic, and we all have a really important role to play in getting Kirklees through the roadmap out of lockdown safely.

“The vaccination programme benefits all age groups and it’s important for us all to take it when it’s our turn. It doesn’t matter how young or healthy you are, Covid-19 still presents a risk and the vaccine protects us all.

"This is our main route back to normality."