Calderdale in top five authorities battling Covid spikes

Calderdale is in the top five upper tier local authority areas experiencing and trying to combat a rise in the number of people with COVID-19.

Rolling weekly figures published by NHS Digital show a 124 per cent increase in cases in Calderdale between August 2 and August 8, giving the authority a figure of 44.3 people per 100,000 having the virus, with 93 new infections.

The rate per 100,000 compares to a figure of 37.1 in the previous seven day rolling period.

Triages – calls to various NHS lines from people who think they may have symptoms of COVID-19 – increased by 18 per cent, with 180 calls made.

Of upper tier authorities, Calderdale is fifth worst affected at the moment, with Oldham, Blackburn, Bradford and Leicester having higher rates.

The next few days will see the official marrying-up of the national NHS Test and Trace scheme with Calderdale’s test and trace system.

Yesterday the council’s Director of Public Health, Deborah Harkins, warned figures were likely to get worse before they got better as testing and tracing is ramped up.

It was likely to uncover more cases which was a good thing in terms of being able to inform contacts of people who had tested positive for COVID-19 and isolating them for a 14-day period, also offering support, she said.