Revealed: Real death toll during first year of pandemic

TRUST RELEASE UPDATED FIGURES

THE true amount of lives claimed by coronavirus in Huddersfield and Calderdale during the first year of the pandemic has been revealed.

A member of the public submitted a Freedom of Information request to Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust asking for the “exact death numbers solely from Covid-19” in the year from February 2020.

The trust responded saying 349 people sadly died with Covid-19 “the direct cause” during the 12 month period - a figure almost 150 deaths lower than the total on its website.

A spokesperson for the hospital said the higher figure of 497 reported on its website was people who had died after recording a positive Covid test.

The trust revealed some 1,780 people died at its two hospitals - HRI and Calderdale Royal - during the same period, meaning coronavirus accounted for about 20 per cent or one-infive of all deaths.

Meanwhile, public health officials have warned that Kirklees has one of the highest infection rates in the country.

With 75 per 100,000 people in Kirklees testing positive over the last seven days, the borough’s rate has increased by six per cent since last week.

Kirklees’ rate is almost triple the national average of 28 per 100,000 however there were no deaths in local hospitals last week.

There are currently 16 inpatients in local hospitals being treated for Covid19 – down from 21 last week. There were 330 new confirmed positive cases in the last week in Kirklees – more than last week when there were 308.

Rachel Spencer-Henshall, Strategic Director for Public Health at Kirklees Council said: “It’s really great to see restrictions lift this week and for more businesses and venues to be able to open again.

“We’ve been able to get to this point because of the fantastic efforts you are all going to, and more than 192,000 Kirklees people who have now had at least their first vaccine dose.

“Our infection rate needs to drop further and fast because it’s still significantly above the national average and increased over the last week.

“Our infection rate is likely to be higher than many other areas because of the types of industries we have in Kirklees and the number of people leaving their home each day to work.

“With the easing of restrictions, it’s now much more likely for us to come into contact with people outside our household or bubble. We need to remember that the virus is still spreading in our communities and if we are not careful, we risk our numbers rising again.

“There’s a really important role we all have to play in making sure we keep our numbers down so we can get Kirklees through the national roadmap out of lockdown and back to normality.

“There’s a good reason why much of the restrictions being lifted focus around being outdoors. “The risk of infection is significantly lower as the fresh air helps to disperse the virus particles. So, if you are meeting with people from other households in line with changes to restrictions, it’s so much safer outdoors. And always remember: hands, face, space when you’re leaving home.”

If you’re vulnerable and need support, please visit Kirklees Council’s website or call 0800 4561114.

Our infection rate needs to drop further

and fast