Doncaster health chief urges caution but is optimistic about current Covid-19 situation in borough

Director of public health Dr Rupert Suckling has said the situation is improving across the borough but warned that the pandemic is not over yet.

He also urged people who are eligible for a booster Covid-19 vaccine to get one when they are called.

Dr Suckling said there is pressure on primary care services such as GPs and that the virus was still leading to hospital admission at Doncaster Royal Infirmary.

In terms of vaccination rates, Dr Suckling said Doncaster had 80 per cent of over 18s have had two jabs, 60 per cent of those eligible have had a booster and in the last couple of weeks, the number of children aged 12-15 having one jab now stands ar 25 per cent.

Dr Suckling said: “Despite Covid-19 still leading to hospital admissions, there is potentially some reassuring news for us.

“The number of people now in hospital with Covid-19 are similar to that we saw at the end of March, 2021.

“The good news or reassuring news is that the rates in Doncaster are starting to fall and we now have an overall rate of 343 cases per 100,000 people and the number of people who are having a test that test positive for COVID-19 is just over 10 per cent which is a significant reduction on before.

“We have benefited from the two weeks off for school children in Doncaster and for many of the schools that have definitely helped reduce the transmission of Covid-19.

We are all hopeful that the rates are going to continue to reduce but there is a lag between when the rates reduce and when the impact of admission happens and that’s generally about two weeks.

“Even though the rates are going down now, you’re still looking at a very busy health care system, probably right through to Christmas.”