Fears over rising rates in older people

EAST Riding Council’s public health lead has said a concerning amount of people in their sixties and seventies are catching coronavirus, despite infection numbers falling overall.

East Riding Council’s Public Health Director Andy Kingdom said the trend came as infections in school-age children, the previous drivers of infections in communities, had dropped.

Mr Kingdom added he was concerned the virus was now making its way to the elderly and clinically vulnerable as the effectiveness of their first vaccine doses starts to wane.

It comes as 1,413 new coronavirus cases were recorded in the East Riding between Tuesday, October 19, and Monday, October 25, down from 1,600 the previous week.

The rolling infection rate fell from 466 cases per 100,000 people to 412 during the same period.

The equivalent rolling rates for Yorkshire and the Humber and England were 427 and 448 respectively between Tuesday, October 19, and Monday, October 25. There were 48 people in Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital with coronavirus as of Friday, October 29.

Mr Kingdom said a fall in cases in younger people was expected after schools closed for half term.

The director said: “We’re seeing cases rise particularly among those aged between 60 and 70, the question now is whether rates in that age group will fall.

“The problem is that coronavirus will always find its way to the most vulnerable who it can more easily infect.

“More people are mixing indoors and closing their windows, so conditions are starting to go in the virus’ favour.

“The booster rollout remains the most important though, that’s the one that’s focused on protecting those who need it and I’m confident for it given the vast numbers who took up the original vaccine offering.”