'We're not out of the woods yet:' Health chief's caution as Doncaster Covid rates drop

In his weekly update on the Covid situation in Doncaster, Dr Rupert Suckling, the Director of Public Health, said the town’s positivity rate was ‘the lowest it has been in months’ and that numbers were ‘continuing to fall.’

As the number of people in Doncaster to have received their first coronavirus vaccine jab passed 43,000, he urged people to remain vigilant and not to slacken off in the fight against the virus.

He said: “Our latest data across all age groups shows our infection rate is 212.6 per 100,000 people for the period 23 to 29 January.

“Our positivity rate is 8.3% which is the lowest it's been in months.

“Our numbers continue to fall, and we now have the lowest rates in South Yorkshire, which is of course welcome news but we're not out of the woods just yet.

“To drive these rates down even further we need to continue sticking to the hands, face, space rule and stay at home for all but essential reasons.

“If you have symptoms, please self isolate and organise to get tested.

“We now also have community test centres open in Hexthorpe, Stainforth and Conisbrough for people without symptoms, particularly those who still have to leave home to go to work. Please make use of these centres and take up the offer of testing.”

“Please stay at home and stay safe. Let’s continue to do it for Doncaster!”

There have been 675 Covid deaths in Doncaster, with 2,000 people treated and discharged from hospital.