Continued fall in Preston coronavirus rate as care home residents to receive Covid Pfizer vaccine first

Face masks being worn on the streets of Preston during Friday (4 December) Pic: Paul Melling

Preston’s coronavirus infection rate has continued the steady fall.

New cases for the city were at 38 for Friday (4 December).

South Ribble saw 25 new Covid-19 cases for the same day.

Wyre had 15 cases, Fylde just six and Ribble Valley recorded 16 new cases.

Preston’s infection rate is now 176.8 per 100,000 people, for the seven days to November 30, down from 259.9 per 100,000 people for the seven days to November 23.

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South Ribble saw a small fall to 203.1, down from 207.6, for the same date periods.

Wyre’s rate also fell, from 136.5 to 125.8.

Fylde’s rate is 152.3 per 100,000, down from 195.6.

Ribble Valley is 151.1, down from 188.9.

Vaccine roll-out nears as care home residents and staff at front of the queue

The government is preparing to roll-out the Covid-19 Pfizer vaccine from Tuesday.

Royal Preston Hospital is one of 50 ‘hospital vaccine hubs’ to be set up to receive the vaccine which must be stored at -70 degrees celscius.

Previously the government had said NHS staff would be among the first to receive the vaccine.

In a change of strategy during Thursday 3 December there was a move to instead vaccinate care home residents, considered most vulnerable to Covid, and also care home workers.

800,000 vaccine doses are arriving in the UK, enough to vaccinate 400,000 people – as each person requires two jabs, 21 days apart.

Coronavirus rates are continuing to fall across the country, and the R rate is now between 0.8 and 1 according to latest estimates from the Department for Health and Social Care.