Halifax Covid19 Report Update
Following Our Recent Identification Of A Strange Significant Jump In Reported Statistics On Coronavirus Pandemic In Calderdale Our Reporters Sought The Comment Of Halifax MP Holly Lynch
She said today
“The Council has explained that the way the Government reports cases of Covid-19 has changed at local authority level recently. The new process gives more information about the number of COVID-19 cases in Calderdale. Although national figures on the number of people tested positive for COVID-19 have always included everyone tested, until this week, the local authority reports only included those tested through Pillar 1 of the testing programme (those tested in hospitals and Public Health England (PHE) laboratories).
Only a small minority of people are now tested through Pillar 1, with the vast majority tested through Pillar 2 (commercial laboratories). The data on cases in Calderdale published on the 2nd July included cases identified through both Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 and inevitably this has shown a significant increase in the number of confirmed cases in Calderdale.
This is not unique to Calderdale, as all local authorities have seen an increase in positive tests being reported because of this. The Directors of Public Health have been calling for this data for some time, as it will help councils target activity to reduce transmission and contain the disease.
The new information gives a fuller picture of the number of confirmed cases in Calderdale and I believe will be of far more use to the Council in terms of managing the current situation. The Halifax Courier recently published an article with further data indicating that Calderdale is now in the top 20 for infection rates in the UK. It is of concern that the number of cases locally is rising rather than falling, however council officers are in regular contact with central government officials and are taking a number of measures to get on top of the virus.
It is important that everybody continues to do everything they can to stay safe and prevent the spread of the virus. If going out social distancing must be observed with hands washed regularly and face masks worn where appropriate. This is compulsory in shops from Friday 24th July.