Covid-19 data: what's the picture locally?
Older news
Information about the number Coronavirus cases and deaths locally has been hard to find.
The HebWeb has been reporting the number of new cases in Calderdale every day since the beginning of Lockdown. Our source has been this Government page published daily each afternoon, after 4pm. Here's a chart showing the information we've reported during that time.
Three issues from the above figures
- The first thing which stands out is the big jump in the number of cases at the beginning of July. We didn't know, but prior to July the Government had only be reporting those who tested positive through NHS testing, subsequently referred to as Pillar 1. It did not include testing by other bodies or tests sent through the post - Pillar 2 cases.
- The second thing to notice is that during May and June, before Lockdown easing, the number of reported cases apparently hardly rose at all.
- Thirdly, since the beginning of July there has been a significant increase in the number of cases reported in Calderdale.
Deaths
128 deaths have been reported in Calderdale caused by the coronavirus, as of 2 October - source. Between March 1 and June 30, 5 deaths were reported in Hebden Bridge, 1 in Mytholmroyd and Cragg Vale and 10 in Todmorden West and Cornholme - source.
Where in Calderdale?
How affected are the communities living in the Hebden Bridge area and the Upper Valley? 20 July until 12 Sept there were 0-2 cases reported in Hebden Bridge or Mytholmroyd - source. NB: Gov figures no longer give zero - only 0-2 cases. There were 0-2 cases in Todmorden for the period 6-12 September.
For Calderdale the wards with the highest rate of cases for the 7 days prior to 11th September were:
For Calderdale the wards with the highest rate of cases for the 7 days prior to 22nd September were:
- Illingworth and Mixenden;
- Ovenden
- Park;
- Warley;
- and Ryburn.
Of tests undertaken in the 7 days to 12th September, 6% of Calderdale residents were positive. This is compared to a rate of 3.2% in England, as a whole. There has been a steady increase in the percentage of positive tests over the last 2 weeks. source.
How does Calderdale compare?
The UK average is around 734 cases per 100,000 people (it was 389 on 25 July) at 5 October. 57 countries in the world have a higher rate (down 15) - source. 45 cases per 100,000 people in the latest week 9 Sep-15 Sep. The average area in England had 16. Calderdale has a rate of around 581 cases per 100,000 - up from 378 cases per 100,000 when this page was first published on 25 July - source
Surrounding areas
Bolton, Manchester, Rochdale and Bradford are in the top twenty for new cases in the past week. From being in the top 10, there are now over 40 authorities with a higher rate than Calderdale. (19 Sept) Source
Older news
- 4322 new cases in the UK, the largest daily number since 1 May. The R number is now estimated to be between 1.1 to 1.4. (18 Sept)
- 0-2 cases reported for the week of 6-12 September in Hebden Bridge, Mytholmroyd and Todmorden. 0-2 cases for the previous 6 weeks in Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd: Gov figures no longer give zero - only 0-2 cases. Source (17 Sept)
- Calderdale reports the largest daily rise in the number of cases since the HebWeb started updating the figures each day in March. 25 new cases in Calderdale in the past 24 hours. And 3991 cases nationally, also the largest daily rise in many months. Source 16 Sept
- Cases doubling every seven to eight days in England, with the R rate now between 1 and 1.2 (11 Sept)
- Update: Extra Restrictions in Calder Valley lifted from Wednesday 2 September. This of course includes Hebden Bridge, Mytholmroyd and Todmorden. The national restrictions remain as the virus is still very active. Preventative measures such as washing of hands and social distancing should be continued. More info (28 Aug)
- Update: 21 new cases in Calderdale in the past 24 hours, the largest daily increase we've reported. (9 Sept)
- Update: Nationally, the number of new cases is nearly 3000 two days running, the highest daily increase for three and a half months, and locally, Calderdale has 19 new cases for each of the past two days! Source (7 Sept)
- Update: Nationally, the number of new cases is 1940, the highest number since May. Source (4 Sept)
- Update: 5 cases reported in west Todmorden and Cornholme area for the week of 23 August to 29 August. The numbers of new cases reported Calderdale as a whole is 38, 27 less than the previous week. (Source) (3 Sept)
- Surrounding areas - Bolton, Manchester, Rochdale and Bradford are in the top ten for new cases in the past week. From being in the top 10, Calderdale has slipped to no 31. (11 Sept) Source
- On 3 September, Calderdale Council said "the wards with the highest rate of cases for the 7 days prior to 22nd August were Park, Warley, Ryburn and Northowram and Shelf. Park and Warley wards in Halifax have had the highest rates in the borough over the last 2 months and these rates now appear to be reducing." - source.
- Update: Local restrictions continue in Calderdale. It was announced Friday, 21 August that the pandemic restrictions introduced at the end of last month are to continue. North of England: local restrictions.
- Update: "Writing on her blog on Thursday, Calderdale's director of public health, Debs Harkins, said infection rates in Calderdale were increasing faster than in any other borough in the Yorkshire and Humber region – particularly among key workers." See Guardian article. (14 Aug)
- Update: Calderdale Council warn that Calderdale is at risk of a lockdown. Source (13 Aug)
- Wednesday, 12 August 2020 - the number of cases reported in Calderdale since the pandemic started has now passed 1000
- Update: Wednesday, 5 August 2020. "Calderdale council in West Yorkshire, which has the sixth highest infection rate in England . . ." Read more
Because of the jump in the number of cases in July, Calderdale was one of 9 authorities on the the Goverment's Areas of Concern list. During the week of 9-15 July, Calderdale had the 9th highest rate in England. Source
This page will be updated as and when more information is found, or becomes available.
In the week from 13-19 July, there were 3 cases in Hebden Bridge and no cases in Mytholmroyd.
From The Guardian, Wednesday, 5 August 2020
. . . Calderdale council in West Yorkshire, which has the sixth highest infection rate in England, told the Guardian it was hoping to launch its own team next week. Tim Swift, leader of Calderdale council, said there was “two or three gaps” in the national system that it would plug with its own model, which it hopes to begin next Wednesday.
He said the national call centre-based approach was fine for some areas, but was failing to understand “something as basic as getting names right” in communities where full names do not always “fit neatly into a first-name-surname function”.
“We understand that and find it easier to handle,” he said. “You don’t want to just know someone is a private hire driver, but also where they work. And also you want to be able to follow up when people do not give full information and sometimes the only way to do that is to knock on a door.”
Ben Leaman, consultant in public health at Calderdale, said the council would use native speakers of Urdu, Czech and Slovak to knock on the doors of people the national system had been unable to reach. All positive cases would get a text message from the council with a local number to call – a recognition of the fact many people were unwilling to call an 0300 number, often believing it to be a hoax. If they don’t reply within 24 hours they get a knock on the door.
This page was created on 25 July 2020
As COVID-19 is still within our community, we should all continue to keep at least two metres away from people outside our households wherever possible, wash our hands with soap and water often, for at least 20 seconds, avoid touching our face and follow the 'catch it, bin it, kill it' guidance to help keep ourselves and others safe. Anyone with symptoms of COVID-19 should stay at home and book a test as soon as possible, within five days of the symptoms starting. Please wear a face covering in shops or when travelling on public transport or in a taxi. It is also recommended that people wear face coverings whenever they are indoors with people who are not part of their household or bubble.