Covid vaccine: North Yorkshire residents urged to get jab after 'significant increase' in cases

The borough’s seven day rate per 100,000 is down by two to 14, the second lowest rate in the county behind Ryedale.

At a meeting of the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum today Richard Webb North Yorkshire County Council’s director for Health and Adult Services, warned that rates could increase very quickly.

He said: “We have seen quite a significant change [in North Yorkshire’s rate], although not on the scale that we are seeing across England and the wider UK.

“Our average rate across the county at the moment is 28 per 100,000, the England average is now 50, and within the county that the range between five in Ryedale and 56 in Selby but that is quite a significant increase in the last fortnight.”

In Scarborough borough more than 61,000 people have now had two doses of one of the coronavirus vaccines and the public were told that getting the jab was the best defence against the virus.

Mr Webb added: “The new Delta variant is on the market and the vaccine is our best defence and getting two doses of the vaccine is our very best defence.

“If you are offered the vaccine please take it up and if you have had the first vaccine get your second dose as well.”