Warnings issued as hospital admissions rise in Scarborough
Residents in Scarborough have been warned to remain vigilant as Covid-19 hospital admissions rise while the vaccine roll-out continues.
Residents in Scarborough have been warned to remain vigilant as Covid-19 hospital admissions rise while the vaccine roll-out continues.
The borough has the lowest infection rate in North Yorkshire but the number of patients in Scarborough Hospital increased by more than 20% in the last seven days.
A total of 52 people are now in the hospital, up nine from last week. Across the county 504 people are now in hospital with Covid-19, more than 200 above the peak of the first wave in April.
The increase comes as the borough’s seven day infection rate per 100,000 drops to 113, its lowest level since January and below the national average of 369.
Amanda Bloor, NHS North Yorkshire CCG Accountable Officer told a meeting of the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum today that people had to continue to play their part to save lives.
She said:
“We have now got over 500 patients in the North Yorkshire and York hospitals with Covid. That’s the highest number we have ever had.
“The significance of that number should reinforce and push home the message around how important it is to comply with the guidance, to protect people that we know and live with in our communities.”
Mrs Bloor also revealed that 126,163 vaccines have been given in North Yorkshire and York since December. The number includes some second doses which were being offered at the start of the programme.
Scarborough Rugby Club has also been confirmed as a new vaccination site and should be administering its first jabs this weekend.
Mrs Bloor added the site had been chosen as it could accommodate a number of people coming through, which helped with administering the Pfizer vaccine which has to be used within three days of being opened.
She said:
“This site will allow Filey Surgery and other sites in Scarborough at GP surgeries to become more effective and more efficient at getting more people through.
“I appreciate for some people it may not be as accessible as the GP sites might have been, however, in terms of getting through the number of vaccines required it is a better site.”
A number of local charities will be offering Covid-safe support, Mrs Bloor said, to get people to and from vaccination appointments if they have no transport. People will be offered the chance to take up the offer of help when they are offered their vaccine appointment.
Community pharmacies should start offering vaccine appointments in the near future, the forum heard.