More than 200 patients in Wakefield currently receiving hospital treatment for Covid-19 as people urged 'not to become complacent' about lockdown measures

Though the rate of cases of the virus in the district has fallen slightly this week, the number of people receiving hospital treatment has risen.

The number of patients being cared for by the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust has now reached 206, up from 184 last week.

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Councillor Faith Heptinstall, Wakefield Council’s Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing, said: “We have seen a very slight decrease in cases this week but this absolutely not the time to become complacent. It is absolutely crucial for everyone to continue to follow the important guidance and restrictions currently in place.

"We know that the new variant is present in communities in the region and it spreads at a much faster pace.

"We must all play our part and do everything we can to avoid the infection rate increasing again, if we don’t, we will see more hospital admissions and our local NHS services risk being overwhelmed, and inevitably, and sadly, more lives will be lost.”

The Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust runs Pontefract, Pinderfields and Dewsbury hospitals, but has centralised all Covid care at Pinderfields since early on in the pandemic.

According to the latest NHS data, the seven day rate of cases of Covid-19 in the district has now fallen to 209 per 100,000, down from 258 per 100,000 on Friday.

But speaking last week, Anna Hartley, the director of public health for Wakefield, warned that the district cannot afford rates to rise.

She said: “Back in November things were really tough in Wakefield. Things have improved, but we just can’t go back to that place again.

“We need the NHS to be in a place where if any one of us is sick from anything, if you have a stroke or a heart attack or your child breaks their leg, it will be there.

“We need the NHS to be able to respond to that.

“If we have Covid patients taking up half the beds in a hospital, then the system starts getting backed up.

“People in ambulances outside or in A&E can’t move into beds. That’s how you end up with ambulances backed up in the car park.

“If your mum has a stroke that day and it takes longer for an ambulance to reach you because of the system, then that will impact on your level of care.

“The health services have responded incredibly well, but we can’t go back to how we were in November.”

There have been 18,614 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the Wakefield district to date, up from 16,626 at the end of December.

At least 792 people have died within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test while being treated at Mid Yorkshire hospitals, and a further 136 deaths have been reported at the district's care homes.