Deaths

TEN (10) additional deaths reported by the York Hospital Trust today. 6 occurred on Tuesday and 4 yesterday. Brings the cumulative death toll since 1st September to 235.

The average number of COVID deaths in the York Hospital Trust area is now averaging over five a day.

Test Results

NINETY TWO additional positive test results today bringing total to 10,466

The rate /100k population figure has now fallen to 424.48. It is projected to fall below 400 on Saturday.

The infection rate is now below the peak seen in the second wave when cases reached 449.4 on 16th October.

The infection rate in York is now falling at a faster rate than the decline being seen at national and regional levels.

Hospital

There has been a significant increase in the number of beds occupied by COVID patients at the York Hospital Trust

There are currently 8 patients in intensive care.

Neighbourhoods

We are seeing a continuing reduction in infection levels across most of the City

Only one neighbourhood (Wigginton) now has a rate in the highest category

For the first time since 30th December we have a neighbourhood (Holgate East) with a rate below 200.

Vaccinations

More than 80% of over 80s and people in care homes have now been vaccinated – and letters are being sent to over 70s – according to the Council

4,973,249 people nationally have now had their first dose of vaccine. 464,036 have had the second dose.

363,508 first doses were administered yesterday which was a record high

Reports are still coming in about problems yesterday at the regional vaccination centre at Askham Bar. Two hour waits while queuing in a car and difficult to access toilet facilities were cited.

We had a look at the vaccination site today.

Essentially, the authorities are using the new park and ride car park as an assembly area. They are then metering cars onto the service road and hence to the testing site

When we arrived, there were about 15 cars in the assembly area. Some has just arrived. They were all released within 10 minutes.

They then queued on the service road to the rear of Tesco.

They seemed to be in the queue for no more than 15 minutes (papers were being checked at the head of the queue)

Vehicles were then released and asked to park in the old park and ride site.

Within a few moments, occupants were then invited to go into one of the marquees for a jab.

We think that the process would have taken less than 60 minutes start to finish for most, if not all, people.

It looked quite efficient although, we may have chanced upon a slack time. Those leaving the site spoke highly of the process.

We’d say the site was processing about 30/40 cars per hour.

People walking/cycling to the site have a separate entrance which we couldn’t monitor – but not large numbers.

The Health Service Journal (HSJ) has reported that health officials in Yorkshire had been told their vaccine supplies would be rationed since they were doing so well in rolling it out and limited supplies had to be diverted to areas which were struggling to reach vulnerable people.

Sources told the HSJ that the vaccines handed to primary care networks in the Yorkshire and North East NHS region would drop from 200,000 to 100,000 next week.

According to figures published yesterday, between December 8 and January 19 some 670,778 people in Yorkshire and the North East have had their first dose, and 71,378 second doses have been delivered, making 742,156 in total.