Kirklees is leading the way when it comes to vaccinating its young people.

More than 7,500 12-15-year-olds in Kirklees have now received their Covid-19 vaccination, that’s 35% of those eligible. This means Kirklees has the highest proportion of younger residents vaccinated compared to anywhere else in the Yorkshire and Humber region. 

Over the past week, Kirklees’ Covid-19 infection rate for all residents has also reduced by 14%. The rate of new infections in Kirklees is now below the national average but remains high.

Over the same period, there were 11 Covid-19 related deaths in local hospitals, which is the same as the previous week. The number of people admitted to hospital due to Covid-19 increased by nine to 40.

Rachel Spencer-Henshall, strategic director for public health at Kirklees Council, said: “I’d like to thank our amazing schools, the team at Locala and NHS colleagues for delivering such a professional roll out of vaccinations to young people across Kirklees.

“If your child missed out on getting a jab when the team visited your school, parents can book an appointment for their child through the national booking system.  

“It’s positive news that new Covid-19 infections have reduced over the past week. But our rates remain high and winter is a time when infections like Covid-19 can spread more easily. That’s why I’m asking everyone to enjoy winter safely.

“When it’s your turn, the best thing you can do to keep safe is to get your booster jab. If you’re over 50 and it’s been more than six months since your last jab, you can book your booster today.

“If you haven’t had your first or second dose yet, it’s definitely not too late to protect yourself. Just log on to the NHS website or call 119 to arrange yours.

“There are lots of other small steps we can all take to reduce the risk of infection this winter. Meeting outdoors is a good way to reduce transmission. If you’re meeting other people indoors, keeping windows and doors open as much as possible is another effective way to reduce the chance of the virus passing between people.

“Testing also remains a really important way we can reduce the spread. Testing yourself a couple of times a week at home, even if you don’t have symptoms, can make sure you don’t pass on the virus without knowing. And if you have any Covid-19 symptoms, please don’t hesitate to book a test.”

Vaccinations:

There are a number of walk-in vaccination clinics available across Kirklees and you can use the new NHS site finder to find your nearest walk-in clinic.

Alternatively, anyone over the age of 16 can use the NHS national booking system to book a vaccine appointment; also parents and carers can now use this service to book a vaccine appointment for their 12-15 year olds.

Testing:

Read about how you can get a rapid lateral flow test twice a week if you don’t have symptoms.

If you do have symptoms get a PCR test and isolate immediately. The easiest way to get a PCR test at your nearest available testing centre is to book online.

Find out more about PCR testing, how to book and what support is available for those who need to isolate.