Covid cases linked to Wakefield workplaces fall as vaccine rollout reaches younger people

The proportion of new Covid cases linked to workplaces has fallen in Wakefield, as the vaccination rollout continues.
At the start of this month, workplaces accounted for around 23 per cent of new cases in the district.At the start of this month, workplaces accounted for around 23 per cent of new cases in the district.
At the start of this month, workplaces accounted for around 23 per cent of new cases in the district.

Around 43 per cent of infections in the district were thought to have originated from a place of work during one week in February - a disproportionately high figure compared to other areas.

Public Health suggested Wakefield s warehouse and manufacturing industries, where employees are unable to work from home, was a contributing factor to the figures.

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Now, data from April 8 - the latest date for which a comprehensive picture is available - suggests that workplaces are now accounting for around 23 per cent of new cases, which have fallen sharply.

Wakefield's director of public health Anna HartleyWakefield's director of public health Anna Hartley
Wakefield's director of public health Anna Hartley

Around 26 per cent were linked to schools and education, though nearly half of those were college and mature students aged 18 or over.

They are expected to account for more cases as the weeks progress and Wakefield's director of public health, Anna Hartley, suggested on Tuesday that a small rise in infections was a likely "trade-off" for businesses reopening.

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Speaking at a Covid recovery board meeting she said: "Hopefully the vaccination programme, which has now reached the working age population, is going to provide a balancing effect.

"But we do have to be prepared to see our numbers going up a bit, but that's not unexpected.

"We know workplaces are a really common (point of) exposure but that has reduced."

Local Democracy Reporting Service

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