infection rate and death rates have reduced, hospital admissions have increased in Kirklees
Over the past week, Kirklees’ Covid-19 infection rate for all residents is down by 3 per cent. The rate of new infections in Kirklees is still below the national average.
Over the same period, there were 5 Covid-19 related deaths in local hospitals, which is lower than the previous week. The number of people admitted to hospital due to Covid-19 increased by five to 23.
New restictions are set to be introduced
The Government has announced the introduction of further restrictions in response to the Omicron variant and you can visit our website for more information about the latest restrictions: www.kirklees.gov.uk/covid19restrictions.
Rachel Spencer-Henshall, Strategic Director for Public Health at Kirklees Council, said:
The introduction of further restrictions will help us all stay safe and well during the winter period and is a reminder that we all need to take extra care this festive period and enjoy our celebrations together.
There’s still a lot we don’t know about the Omicron variant, but what we do know is that getting the Covid-19 vaccine and booster dose is the best way of protecting yourself and others against serious illness.
Over 40s and other eligible people can pre-book a Covid-19 booster appointment online if it’s been 2 months (61 days) since the 2nd dose. Visit Kirklees Council’s website for more information.
If you haven’t had your first or second dose yet, it’s definitely not too late to protect yourself. Just log on to the NHS website or call 119 to arrange yours.
There are lots of other small steps we can all take to reduce the risk of infection this winter. Meeting outdoors is a good way to reduce transmission. If you’re meeting other people indoors, keeping windows and doors open as much as possible is another effective way to reduce the chance of the virus passing between people.
Testing also remains a really important way we can reduce the spread. Testing after close contact with others who may have been in a high-risk environment, or before spending time with a more vulnerable person, even if you don’t have symptoms, can make sure you don’t pass on the virus without knowing. And if you have any Covid-19 symptoms, please don’t hesitate to book a test.
Thanks to your fantastic response, we already have positive levels of vaccine uptake in Kirklees with 306,000 local people having had their first dose, 278,000 of those have received their second and 135,000 people have now received their booster dose – thank you all for playing your part.
Vaccinations
You can book your first, second or booster vaccination by visiting the NHS national booking system.
Alternatively, there are a number of walk-in vaccination clinics available across Kirklees and you can use the new NHS site finder to find your nearest walk-in clinic.
Testing
Read about how you can get a rapid lateral flow test if you don’t have symptoms.
If you do have symptoms get a PCR test and isolate immediately. The easiest way to get a PCR test at your nearest available testing centre is to book online.