Harrogate Covid deaths rise and patient numbers stay high despite lockdown

The coronavirus death toll at Harrogate hospital has risen to 149 and patient numbers are still high despite lockdown causing infection rates to tumble.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said on Thursday the hospital was treating 67 virus patients and that numbers of patients in their 60s have remained steady over the last two weeks.

This is despite infection rates continuing to fall across the borough in an encouraging sign that community transmission is going down.

The seven-day infection rate per 100,000 people for both Harrogate and North Yorkshire fell below the 100 mark last week in a development health officials hailed as a “ray of sunshine”.

However, they warned there is still a long way to go in the pandemic and that the NHS is still under pressure, with Jane Hawkard, chief financial officer at NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, saying hospitals are “extremely busy”.

“At the first peak we didn’t do elective work but this time we are combining caring for our Covid-positive patients as well as non-Covid activity,” she said.

“In Harrogate, the numbers are still remaining fairly steady at a high level and still above the first peak.”

NHS figures published yesterday (19 February) show the most recent coronavirus death at Harrogate hospital was on Wednesday. It is the seventh death to be reported in the last seven days.

Meanwhile, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said a further 21 coronavirus patients have been discharged from hospital in the past week.

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