'We must all work together to stop the spread of Covid-19' - Wakefield hospital trust urges people to continue following social distancing guidelines

The number of cases of Covid-19 in the district has risen sharply this month, with almost 200 new cases confirmed since August 1.

Earlier this week, health and political leaders admitted they were concerned that the high rate of new cases may see Wakefield pushed into a local lockdown such as those seen in Kirklees and Calderdale.

But despite this, hospital admissions have remained steady, and very few new deaths have been recorded in the district.

It is believed this is due to an increase in testing at workplaces, where many people may be carrying the virus without displaying symptoms.

But the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Pinderfields, Pontefract and Dewsbury hospitals, is now urging people to continue following safety guidelines, including wearing masks in enclosed spaces, to protect others.

It comes amid fears that people may be unknowingly infecting others with the virus, which could then be passed on to move vulnerable members of the community.

David Melia, Director of Nursing and Quality at The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “The number of Covid positive inpatients in the Trust has remained fairly static for the last week or so.

"However, there are signs that the patients we are seeing are more severely affected and at the same time, we are also aware Wakefield has seen a further increase in the number of people testing positive for Covid-19 over the last few weeks.

"Public Health England information suggests recent outbreaks have also shown that the majority of those testing positive displayed no symptoms at all.

"The concern is that, whilst those individuals may not be made ill by the virus, they may pass it on to the more vulnerable people in our communities.

"We would like to remind our community, patients and their families that we must all work together to stop the spread of the virus.

"Everyone can take these positive steps to protect themselves and others; wear a face covering in any enclosed public space if you can, keep a 2m social distance from others and if you have underlying health issues or are aged 70+, avoid areas where you cannot, avoid hugging, car sharing or close contact with anyone outside your household and maintain regular handwashing.”