Covid: Harrogate district infection rate jumps to new record levels

The borough’s weekly rate per 100,000 people has surpassed its previous record of 534 in July and now stands at 547 after a sharp increase over the last two weeks.

However, the number of people needing hospital treatment remains much lower than previous waves with 10 Covid patients at Harrogate District Hospital as of last Wednesday.

Patient numbers previously peaked at 67 in January.

The hospital is also reporting fewer deaths, although there has been a slight increase recently with the latest death coming on Wednesday when the hospital's toll since the pandemic began reached 188.

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Elsewhere in North Yorkshire, Selby has the second highest infection rate at 501, followed by Scarborough and Hambleton at 437, Craven at 401, Ryedale at 325 and Richmondshire at 324.

The North Yorkshire average is 452 and the same average figure for England is 332.

According to latest NHS figures, a total of 128,131 people in the Harrogate district have now received their first vaccine dose and 120,309 people their second.

By Jacob Webster, Local Democracy Reporter