By Jordan Lemm –
Infection rates are continuing to drop throughout Kirklees, but the number of recent hospitalisations has increased, along with the number of deaths.
Cases and Hospitalisations
In the last seven days, there were 1,795 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Kirklees.
The current rate of infection is 407 per 100,000 people, which represents a 42% decrease over the previous period.
The number of people admitted to local hospitals in the same time period was 49, a slight increase from the previous week.
Additionally, seven people sadly died as a result of the virus, an increase of three over last week.
Vaccinations
As of the time of writing, 322,494 have received their first dose of the vaccine in Kirklees.
301,407 have also had their second vaccination, and 221,413 residents have also received their third booster jab this week.
Currently, anyone from the ages of 12+ can get vaccinated and the government is continuing to encourage that everyone should as soon as they can, get the booster vaccine, with the booster jab being available to those who are 16+.
The government also recently announced that the vaccine will be offered to children from the ages of 5-11 starting from April.
Kirklees residents can book their vaccines by appointment or visit one of the walk-in clinics available all throughout Kirklees.
A full list of walk-in clinics can be found on the NHS site finder, and residents can book their first, second or booster vaccination by visiting the NHS national booking system.
Restrictions & Guidelines
The current restrictions in Kirklees remain as follows with residents encouraged to get vaccinated, continue to take regular lateral flow tests, and isolate if testing positive or Covid-19 symptoms begin.
The current guidelines for Kirklees are:
- Meet in well-ventilated areas where possible, such as outdoors or indoors with windows open.
- Wash your hands with soap and water and use hand sanitiser regularly throughout the day.
- Cover your nose and mouth when you cough and sneeze.
- Stay at home if you are unwell, to reduce the risk of passing on other illnesses to friends, family, colleagues, and others in your community.
- Consider your individual risks, such as clinical vulnerabilities and vaccination status
Getting Boosted
Speaking on the latest figures, Director of Public Health at Kirklees Council, Rachel Spencer-Hall, said “The evidence is really strong. Getting boosted is the best thing you can do to protect yourself from Covid-19.”
“Over 100,000 people have avoided hospital treatment over the past few weeks because they had their jabs.
“The virus is still out there but you’re much less likely to get seriously ill if you’ve got protection from the booster.”
UK Health Security Agency recently published figures that an estimated 105,600 people have been protected from hospital treatment over the past two months.
“It’s easy to get the protection you need. Just log on to the NHS website or call 119 to make your appointment today. Or visit the council’s vaccination web page to find details of your nearest vaccine walk-in clinic where you won’t need an appointment.”