Coronavirus York updates; 30th October 2020

Deaths and test results

No further deaths at York Hospital Trust announced today

63 (SIXTY THREE) additional positive test results announced today. Brings cumulative total to 3652

Continuing downward trend in number of cases. Now below 80 cases per per day per week. Rate per 100k population was down to 257.82 on Tuesday from a peak of 309.58 the previous week.

Half the 24 neighbourhoods in York are now showing week on week reductions in new case levels. Only 3 (Heslington, Rawcliffe/Clifton South and Clifton Without/Skelton) have shown above national average rates of infections during the whole of the last 10 days.

The Woodthorpe/Acomb Park area is showing an increase in case numbers.

Council commentary updated

The York Council has updated its weekly commentary on the pandemic. It can be found on the open data web site. It is reproduced below

People with Covid Symptoms

• NHS Pathways/111 triages – as at 26.10.20 there had been 273 total covid triages in the CYC area in the last 7 days. The peak number of triages was 653 in the 7 day period to 20.9.20. • As at 28.10.20, the Covid Symptom App estimates 860.1 per 100,000 in York with symptomatic covid (responses from a sample of 5,095 people). The peak rate was 1,051.7 on 22.10.20

Diagnosed cases (Pillar 1&2 combined)

• As at 29.10.20 York has had 3,589 cases since the start of the pandemic, a rate of 1,704 per 100,000 of population. The rate in York is above the national average (1,454.6) but below the regional average (2,222.4).

• The PHE ‘Exceedance’ rating compares the no. of new cases over a 14 day period with the previous 6 weeks and provides a RAG rating to indicate if the previously observed trend in the no. of new cases is worsening. The latest rating for York (26.10.20) is Green.

• The provisional rate of new Covid cases per 100,000 of population for the period 21.10.20 to 27.10.20 in York is 213.66 (Using data published on Gov.uk on 29.10.20).

• The latest official “validated” rate of new Covid cases per 100,000 of population for the period 18.10.20 to 24.10.20 was 272.5. The national and regional averages at this date were 225.9 and 390.1 respectively (Using data published on Gov.uk on 29.10.20).

• As at 26.10.20, the latest 7 day positivity rate in York (Pillar 2 only) was 13.1%. The national and regional averages are 10.2% and 14.8% respectively. The number of Pillar 2 tests being carried out in York is increasing.

• As at 29.10.20 York University reported 117 individuals within the University community who were currently self-isolating because they have had a positive COVID-19 test.

• As at 28.10.20 York St. John reported 34 individuals within the University community who were currently self-isolating because they have had a positive COVID-19 test.

Contact Tracing

• Since 28.5.20 a total of 3,020 laboratory confirmed CYC Covid cases have been uploaded into the NHS Test and Trace system and 2,523 of the cases have been engaged. 9,442 ‘contacts’ have been identified and 5,573 of these have been traced.

Deaths

The two sources about deaths from Covid-19 at LA level are ONS data and local registrar data. They are derived from the same source (civil registration data). ONS data is more comprehensive as it includes deaths of York residents which have occurred and been registered outside York. Local registrar data is useful as it provides a breakdown by age and gender. The most recently available data is summarised below:

• ONS weekly data: For deaths occurring up to 16th October 2020 and registered up to 24th October 2020, 175 deaths were recorded as having occurred for CYC residents (84 in hospital, 78 in care homes, 9 at home and 4 in a hospice). The number of deaths per 100,000 of population in York is 83.09 which is lower than the national average of 91.44. The most recent deaths reported for York residents occurred in week 42 (10 to 16 October).

• ‘Excess’ deaths (ONS. In week 42 (10 Oct to 16 Oct), 37 deaths occurred for York residents, which is 8 more than the average weekly number for 2014-18. Over the last 21 weeks the total number of deaths in York has been 44 fewer than the average for the equivalent weeks in 2014-18.

• Local Registrar data: In the weekly data received on 26.10.20 (for deaths occurring up to 21.10.20), a cumulative total of 167 deaths of CYC residents where COVID-19 was mentioned (confirmed or suspected) on the death certificate, have been registered. The average age of the people who died was 82.5, with an age range of 53-104. The age profile of those dying in York is slightly older than the national average. 87 of the 167 were male (52.1%), slightly less than the national average (55.2%). 72 people (43.1%) died in nursing /care homes (the national average is 28.98%). In addition 13 people (7.78%) who normally resided in nursing/care homes in the CYC area, died in hospital.

Data on deaths occurring in hospital are shown below. Deaths are initially reported for York NHS Foundation Trust which includes Scarborough Hospital and the further breakdown by site can be delayed. From local registrar data, 55.2% of COVID-19 deaths occurring at York Hospital have been CYC residents. (NB NHS Trusts record deaths following a positive covid-19 test (within 28 days) whereas ONS record deaths where covid-19 in mentioned on the death certificate so the totals are not the same).

• Deaths at York Hospital: As at 29.10.20, 144 deaths (awaiting confirmation of breakdown by hospital site for recent deaths) where the person had tested positive for COVID-19 and were being cared for at York Hospital have been reported. 230 deaths have been reported by the wider York NHS Trust.

Local tracing success

York’s local contact tracing programme has been running for one week now and data is already showing it has had an immediate impact.

Since launching the service last week, York’s contact tracers have got in touch with 83.7% of residents in the past six days who the national system were unable to reach. More than 100 residents have now been successfully contacted, with low numbers of people uncontactable. On Wednesday 28 October, the local service reached 100% of people that the national system were unable to reach.

The service is currently running Monday to Friday and will soon be running as a seven days a week service, with residents being contacted using a local (01904) phone number.

Text messages will also be sent to people with mobile phones telling them to expect a call. If this is still unsuccessful, then a home visit will be made, and if no-one is at home, a letter with details of how to contact the team will be delivered to those advised to isolate, following Covid-19 guidelines.

Councillor Keith Aspden, Leader of City of York Council and Chair of the York Outbreak Management Advisory Board said:

Thank you to our public health team who are working alongside the national test and trace system to reach more people who have tested positive quickly, which is vital in our efforts to slow the spread of the virus.

“Our local programme places a real priority on the wellbeing of our residents. We will check if they are ok and offer them support should they need it, whether that be getting food and medicine, or simply talking to someone while they self-isolate.  With the national system continuing to face difficulties, we will soon be expanding our local programme to run a 7 day service, in order to reach more residents.”

“We are particularly grateful to all those who are self-isolating or have self-isolated. We know how hard it is, but it is an incredibly important thing to do to keep our friends, family and community safe.”

Fiona Phillips, Assistant Director for Public Health said:

We have really appreciated the support of the public following the launch of this service when we have been in contact with them.

“We would ask people to continue to engage with the service as it really does make a difference in slowing the spread of the virus as the vast majority have so far, which we are very grateful for.

“We know that testing positive for Coronavirus can be a worrying time and we are here to help. Our contact tracers will check you are ok and offer support. After our call, our helpline is there to help those who need it.

“Rapid contact tracing and self-isolation are a key way of stopping the spread of Coronavirus. This is once again a demonstration of a true citywide effort to keep the people we love safe and the places we love open.

Coronavirus York updates; 29th October 2020

Deaths and test results

ONE additional death at the York Hospital Trust was announced today. It occurred on Tuesday.

There were 52 (FIFTY TWO) additional positive test results announced today. That is the smallest increase for 2 weeks. The total number of cases is now 3589

By Sunday the rate per 100k population had fallen to 257.35. That is the smallest rate since 7th October.

Overall the number of cases in the City is now falling with more neighbourhoods now below national infection levels.

There maybe some cautious room for optimism

Those hoping for a return to Tier 1 status may have to wait for a while. York still has the highest infection rate in North Yorkshire albeit it is falling while some other areas are seeing an increase.

Around 1000 tests are being carried out each day in York. Positivity rates are steady at around 1 in 5.

The authorities are now publishing details of the age groups of York people testing positive for COVID. The highest number of cases continues to be concentrated in the 10 – 29 age range.

Positive test results by age group in York

COVID impact on local crime levels

According to North Yorkshire Police the Office of National Statistics (ONS) quarterly crime report begins to reveal the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on crime in the county.

Read the ONS report here

North Yorkshire Police’s crime reporting shows a level of consistency in crimes recorded year on year, although there are a number of notable changes through the months of March to June 2020.

Burglary, theft, vehicle crime and criminal damage a marked decrease which can be attributed to the national lockdown imposed on 23 March. Whilst violent crime showed a minor increase year on year thought to be a result of a change in reporting – this also experienced a decrease through the months of April and May, another change likely to be as a result of the lockdown.

In line with this, the number of sexual crimes recorded have decreased but reporting rates have not fallen at the same pace which positively indicates that victims still have the confidence to come forward and report incidents.

Levels of reported domestic abuse have continued to rise year on year, an increase which can partly be attributed to the requirement to record multiple crimes where stalking and/or harassment has occurred, rather than simply one crime per incident. Partner agencies, charities and other organisations which support domestic abuse victims have reported a rise in demand for their services over the last few months and Detective Superintendent, Allan Harder, explains more:

“Whilst we were hearing of this increased demand from our partners and in the national media, the number of domestic abuse incidents reported to North Yorkshire Police has remained level. Although victims have been seeking additional support, this is not associated with a significant rise in reported incidents.

“That said there was clearly a need for information and advice to be shared as widely as possible so along with our partners we have been working hard to address this. As well as signposting victims to the wealth of support available, we have created videos discussing a range of topics and continue to send a strong message that the police are very much still here to help and do whatever we can to safeguard anyone experiencing domestic abuse.”

Incidents of fraud recorded have continued to rise over the last three years, an increase which can be attributed to both changes in the way it is reported and work to address the fact it is one of the most underreported crimes. Head of North Yorkshire Police Economic Crime Unit, Detective Inspector Jon Hodgeon explains:

“Victims often do not report fraud as they may feel embarrassed to have been scammed or may think there’s no chance of getting back money they have lost but even if there are no lines of enquiry, we want to help ensure that individual does not become a victim again. To be able to provide victims support and prevention advice, we encourage victims to report fraud directly to North Yorkshire Police, rather than Action Fraud, so we can provide this support and prevention advice.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has put a stop to our regular face-to-face fraud prevention presentations and workshops so we’ve had to find new ways to reach people with prevention messages, including regular Facebook Live sessions and other virtual events which have been very well-received. We’ve also seen a number of new scams emerge with the pandemic providing the perfect cover for many fraudsters and old scams coming back into the fore so we’ve worked hard to keep North Yorkshire residents as up to date as possible.”

North Yorkshire Police Assistant Chief Constable, Mark Pannone, said:

“It is clear to see the impact of Covid-19 and the national lockdown on these latest figures and whilst this has meant some reduction in crime, we must not be complacent. We may be seeing less of some types of crime but we know the need for community support and helping individuals to feel safe is more important than ever before.

“We have moved some of our prevention and safeguarding support to online channels and I can reassure our communities that we are still very much here for you. We know this is a really difficult time for our communities and we are adapting to the challenges presented by the pande

Coronavirus York updates; 28th October 2020

Deaths and test results

ONE additional death at the York Hospital Trust announced today. It occurred on Monday.

80 (EIGHTY) additional positive test results today bringing the total to 3537. The rate per 100k population has declined steadily since it peaked at 309.58 on 20th October.

Continuing good news with the rate of increase still stable and continuing signs of a decline in cases at City level. More neighbourhoods now have infection rates below the national average and cases at Heslington – although still higher than in other neighbourhoods – have now halved compared to the start of the local spike.

There is some concern about the steady increase in case numbers in Rawcliffe and Clifton South which now has the second highest rate in the City.

Coronavirus York updates; 27th October 2020

Deaths and test results

ONE additional death announced at York Hospital Trust. Occurred on Sunday

No further care home deaths

60 (SIXTY) additional positive test results brings total to 3457

7 day cases per 100k population figure falls below 300 as infection rate continues to stabilise. Rates in Heslington and Tang Hall falling

Some additional neighbourhoods now have infection rates above the national average. Recent surge in case numbers in + Heworth South and The Groves.

Live Well in York during COVID

Some updated information on this web site. Click graphic to access

Click to access

Surplus food distribution in Foxwood

Volunteers are continuing to hand out surplus food to Foxwood residents during the half term. The sessions are likely to be very popular so the advice is to get there early

Council agrees £42750 budget to continue free school meals during half term

The Council has agreed to allocate £42,750 of existing emergency funding to be used to support 2850 of York schoolchildren with free school meals during October 2020 half term.

This is for children who normally receive free school meals during term-time.

Coronavirus York updates; 26th October 2020

Deaths and test results

There have been no further deaths announced by the York Hospital Trust today

83 (EIGHTY THREE) additional positive test results announced today. Cumulative total now 3397.

Slight slowing of rate of new cases is being sustained although some neighbourhoods ( e.g. Clifton North) are showing above national average rates for the first time

Coronavirus York updates; 25th October 2020

Deaths and test results

There have been no further deaths at the York Hospital Trust announced today

There were 54 (FIFTY FOUR) positive test results announced today bringing the cumulative total to 3314.

The rate of increase in case numbers continues to be stable. There has not, as yet, been any sustained reduction in the number of new cases being reported each day.

The rate per 100k population figure peaked at 308.15 last Tuesday.

At neighbourhood level, the least affected area is now Huntington. The numbers at Heslington are still high but are slowly declining.

There is a high rate of growth in positive test results the Rawcliffe/Clifton South neighbourhood,

Positive test results by local neighbourhood.
Case numbers in Rawcliffe are increasing
Case numbers at Heslington are slowly reducing

Coronavirus York updates; 24th October 2020

Deaths and test results

ONE further death at the York Hospital Trust announced. Occurred on Thursday. Brings the second wave total to 12 fatalities.

69 (SIXTY NINE) new positive test results announced today. The cumulative total number of cases in the City is now 3260

The rolling 7 day average number of new cases peaked at 92.43 last Sunday.

There is more evidence emerging that the number of new cases arising in the City has stabilised.

While Heslington remains the most affected neighbourhood, the new case incidence trend there is now downwards.

Three neighbourhoods now have fewer average case numbers than the national rate. They are Poppleton/Rufforth/Askhams, Haxby and Huntington.

Case numbers in Rawcliffe/Clifton South are increasing.

Coronavirus York updates; 22nd October 2020

Deaths and test results

There have been no further Coronavirus deaths in the York hospital today.

There were 56 (FIFTY SIX) additional positive test results announced today. This is the smallest number for some days. The total number of COVID infections in the City has now reached 3072

The 7 day moving average, per 100k population, peaked at 307.2 on Sunday before showing a small fall.

We are currently seeing on average around 80 additional cases in the City each day

The neighbourhood profile has changed little over the last week with Heslington having around 3 times more cases than the next worst affected neighbourhood (Tang Hall).

The least affected neighbourhood is now Poppleton/Rufforth/the Askhams which, with 5 cases, is below the national average.

The government has also updated its stats on the number of Pillar 2 tests carried out in the City in the period up to 14th October. As expected, the additional capacity introduced at the Heslington testing site has increased the number of tests undertaken. As the graph below demonstrates, the percentage of positive rule continues to rise but is still below 1 in 5.

Other information not yet available

Employment and business grants improved

The government has announced changes to business and jobs support arrangements today.

Cash grants of up to £2,100 a month will be given to firms in Tier 2 areas – enough for all affected hospitality, accommodation and leisure premises.

They will be retrospective, so any region which has been under enhanced restrictions can backdate their claim to August

For self-employed people, the size of the grant they can access will also be doubled to £3,750 – with the amount of average profits they can claim for rising from 20% to 40%.

And there will be changes to the Job Support Scheme, which is for companies experiencing lower demand due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Employees will only need to work 20% of their normal hours – instead of the original 33% – to be eligible.

And the government will significantly reduce the amount employers have to contribute – from 33% to 5%.

Government grants

The government has announced it is allocating £1 billion of additional support to help local authorities get through the winter. City of York Council is to £941,155 of that money.

Coronavirus York updates; 21st Oct 2020

Deaths and test results

There has been a further COVID related death at the York Hospital Trust. It occurred on Monday

Unfortunately today sees a record high number of new cases announced. There were 142 (ONE HUNDRED AND FOURTY TWO) additional positive test results today.

That means that there have been a total of 3016 cases in the City.

The 2000 case milestone was passed as recently as the 8th October.

The rate per 7 days peaked at 91.86 on Sunday. The trend is still upwards but is not as steep as seen earlier in the month.

The infection rate per 100k population has peaked at 305.30 (Sunday). This is higher than the regional and national averages.

The university area still has the highest rate of York neighbourhoods.

Universities

The University of York said that as of yesterday (Tuesday), it was aware of 304 individuals within the university community who were currently self-isolating because they had had a positive Covid-19 test.

It said the university had about 4,500 members of staff and a student body of around 18,000.

York St John University said, as of yesterday, 57 members of its community were currently self-isolating because they had had a positive Covid-19 test, adding: “Close contacts have been identified and advised to self-isolate.”

York launches local contact tracing system

City of York Council is launching a new local test and trace system to help people who have recently tested positive and aid in the city’s ongoing efforts to stop the spread of the Coronavirus.

Following extensive lobbying efforts, the Council has been working with the national test and trace system to establish the service, which from tomorrow (Thursday 22 October) will see the local public health team contact those the centralised system has been unable to.

People contacted will be advised to isolate, talked through the local support available when isolating, and asked about details of their close contacts so these can then be followed up by the national team.

The service will run Monday to Friday initially, increasing over the coming weeks to a seven day service, with residents being contacted using a local (01904) phone number. Text messages will also be sent to people with mobile phones telling them to expect a call. If this is still unsuccessful, then a home visit will be made, and if no-one is at home, a letter with details of how to contact the team will be delivered to those advised to isolate, following Covid-19 guidelines.

Councillor Keith Aspden, Leader of City of York Council and Chair of the York Outbreak Management Advisory Board said:

“Together with partners across the city we have been lobbying the Government to provide capacity to establish a localised tracing program to support the national system, which unfortunately continues to fall short of expectations.

“Where contact tracing has been localised in other parts of the country it has been hugely successful in reaching more of those who have contracted coronavirus quickly, helping to slow the spread of the virus. Our trained contact tracers will contact those the national system have been unable to, and this work will be invaluable in helping to keep our city safe and open.

“I want to thank everyone who has engaged with the test and trace system so far and followed advice to self-isolate. We all appreciate how challenging this year has been, and we must work together to support our businesses, schools and key workers, and ensure that our collective effort and the sacrifices made by so many do not go to waste.

“Our public health teams are doing an excellent job, but it’s also the personal responsibility of each and every one of us to keep our city and people safe and the places we love open by ensuring that we follow the public health advice.”

Sharon Stoltz, Director for Public Health at City of York Council said: 

“Test and Trace is one of the key methods to support the lowering of transmission rates and keeping York residents safe. Our local contact tracers will work with the national Test and Trace to find those who have tested positive but have not responded to the National Test and Trace calls. The more people we contact, the lower we can bring the rate of transmission. This also helps us gather local intelligence, which enables us to provide a more effective response to the spread of the virus.

“We all have a role to play in keeping the people we love safe and the places we love open. Self-isolating when you have symptoms or are told to by test and trace and Hands Face Space are some of the key things we can all do for each other.

“Support is available for those who are self-isolating by contacting our helpline on 01904 551550 or emailing COVID-19help@york.gov.uk and I want to thank everyone who has, is and will self-isolate when asked to do so, it really does make a difference.”

Coronavirus York updates; 20th October 2020

Deaths and test results

There have been no further hospital deaths in York today. However an additional death in a care home has been registered (7th Oct) bringing the cumulative total there to 81.

There have been an additional 101 (ONE HUNDRED AND ONE) positive test results announced today. That brings the cumulative total to 2874

The rate per 100k population figure peaked at 295.48 on Friday. That is higher than the rates at regional and national level.

It may be worth remembering, though, that the rate in the majority of neighbourhoods is at, or below, the national average. It is the Heslington & Tang Hall areas that push the City into the Tier 2 restriction category

64% of positive test results are being recorded by people aged under 30.

Outbreak Management Board meeting tomorrow

A meeting of the City’s Coronavirus Outbreak management board takes place tomorrow. Its agenda has been published (click)

The meeting will receive a background report which will confirm that case numbers in York are now above both regional and national rates.

Council report to meeting on 21st October 2020

The meeting will also hear a report on communications. The presentations makes no mention of the big question – a lack of information on key issues like health capacity & or positivity percentages by neighbourhood.

It does, however, offer a glimpse of responses on some questions posed during the Councils “big conversation” survey.

Likely to be of particular interest, will be the report from the 4 higher/further education establishments in the City.

It says that they have 404 active positive cases across staff and students, resulting in around 3,000 students needing to self isolate in either their University or college accommodation, or in private homes across the City.

The Universities don’t seem to have any further initiatives to offer as they struggle to stem the spread of the virus.

If cases continue to increase, then it is possible that the campus and student accommodation units will be subject to greater quarantine restrictions or that they may have to close altogether for several weeks.

The meeting will also hear of plans for a local contact tracing initiative (click)