Coronavirus York updates; 2nd February 2021

Deaths

EIGHT additional deaths announced by the York Hospital Trust today.

One occurred on 29th January, five on Sunday 31st January, and two yesterday (1st February).

The cumulative total number of fatalities since the 1st September has now risen to 289.

Separately the ONS has published updated figures today which record the number of York residents who have died from COVID-19.

These figures are different from those published by the York Hospital Trust which covers a larger area than just the City.

During the week ending 22nd January – the most recent period available – thirty York residents died.

That is an increase from the previous week when twenty five local fatalities were recorded

Of the fatalities, 19 died in hospital, 8 in care homes, 2 at home and 1 at a hospice.

The cumulative local death toll has now reached 89 since the beginning of September.

The York Hospital Trust reported total casualties of 37 during the same week (w/e 22/1/21).

The care home toll is lower than was seen in the spring. The NHS confirmed yesterday that all York care home residents had now been offered a vaccination

Test numbers

The latest figures reveal that 5,371 PCR tests were carried out on the seven days ending on 28th January.

8.7% of these provided to be positive.

That represents a further reduction in positivity levels.

1,508 lateral flow tests were carried out on 1st February

Test results

FORTY TWO (42) additional positive test results have been announced today. It brings the cumulative total to 11,178.

The rate /100k population figure is now 198.0. This is first time that the rate has fallen below 200 since 23rd December.

Despite a forecast uptick when the figures for the 31st January are added in, the infection rate is otherwise trending to fall steadily and may go below 150 during the next weekend

York continues to have an infection rate below both the regional and national averages.

The North Yorkshire rate has leveled off.

Neighbourhoods

There has been a small increase in case numbers in some neighbourhoods.

This includes a 7 case increase in Haxby which remains – by some distance – the area with the highest infection rate in the City.

The lowest rate can now be found in the City centre.

Hospitals

The York Hospital Trust currently has 191 confirmed or suspected COVID-19 inpatients. That is a reduction on the figure seen last week.

It has 11 COVID-19 patients in intensive care.

1,731 patients have been discharged to their usual place of residence or are no longer being treated for Covid-19.

Vaccinations

National

Nationwide over 10 million people have now been vaccinated.

Yesterday 350,348 received their first dose with 2,587 receiving the second dose. This represented a small increase on the numbers inoculated on the previous day

Regional
Local

No new figures have ben issued. However the Askham Bar site has remained open today despite the poor weather. It has been averaging around 2000 injections per day.

Mission Impossible 2

The black farce that is the York Local Plan process has taken a step sideways.

A letter from the appointed inspectors has ordered the Council to consult on the recent changes it has made to documents which should by now have been formally approved and implemented.

The consultation will take up to 6 weeks to complete.

It can only start as and when the Council gets round to publishing details of the latest changes that it proposes to make to the City’s Green Belt boundaries.

The Inspectors letter can be read by clicking here.

The letter concludes by saying that the examination in public will not recommence until June at the earliest. It will probably be held as a “virtual” (on-line) meeting.

We have said before, the Local Plan process is fundamentally flawed.

It is based on the proposition that it is possible to predict the economic and social changes which will occur over a 20 year period.

BREXIT and the pandemic have put paid to that notion.

We would all struggle to predict how the York economy will look this time next year, let alone in 2040.

Yet the Local Plan could see vast swathes of the City blighted as planners seek to allocate sites to house 790 additional families each year.  

That level of job growth to support such inward migration is simply is not going to happen in the  post pandemic world.

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