One year on since first Sheffield Covid case - now over 40,000 people have tested positive

Public Health England and Sheffield City Council confirmed the case – which affected a Sheffield resident – and as per the instructions at the time the patient was quarantined.

First coronavirus case confirmed in Sheffield

Close contacts of the patient were given emergency contact details in case they developed symptoms of the virus within 14 days of coming into contact with the patient.

Elsewhere in South Yorkshire, there were already two confirmed cases in Barnsley and one in Rotherham. The Royal Hallamshire was also treating other virus cases which originated outside of Sheffield.

The first confirmed case in Sheffield came as the total number of UK cases reached 456.

A year on and that number has climbed to 4.23 million.

In Sheffield, the total number of confirmed cases of cornavirus now stands at 40,301 according to the latest data released yesterday (March 10).

“I hope I never see the scale of this again” – Sheffield’s director of public health talks about a year of Covid

And 1,108 of those who tested positive for Covid-19 in the last year in Sheffield died within 28 days.

However, a vaccination rollout is well under way and the third national lockdown is beginning to lift. It is hoped that all restrictions will have been eased by June 22.

In Sheffield the top four most vulnerable groups – care home residents, front line health and social care workers, over 70s and those listed as ‘extremely vulnerable’ – had all been offered the vaccine by February 15.

Now, having moved quickly through the cohorts, Sheffield CCG has called for those aged 56 and above to book to arrange their first jab.

In spite of this, Sheffield’s Director of Public Health Greg Fell, who has led the city’s response to the pandemic, warned that it was all far from over.

He said: “You want to go back to the pub and so do I but I think we will be in a position where I will be the harbinger of doom for some time to come and I’m sorry about that in advance.

"I think we’ll be living with Covid and adapting to it for a long time to come yet.

"Covid will undoubtedly have a long term and lasting impact, both socially and economically, but Sheffield will bounce back and we will need to help it do that.”