Covid now 'out of control' in Leeds as one in 10 tests come back positive

Covid infections are surging across England with the latest data from the UK Government revealing high test positivity rates across the country.

The latest figures reveal 294 councils across England, or 93 per cent, have recorded a positive test rate of over five per cent over the seven days to September 9. That’s the proportion of people tested who got a positive result.

The World Health Organisation has set a five per cent threshold for determining if the pandemic is under control.

In Leeds, the positive test rate is more than double that figure, now standing at 10.1 per cent.

Calderdale recorded the highest rate of positive tests in West Yorkshire, 12 per cent, while the percentage is 11.6 in Wakefield, 11.3 in Kirklees and 10.5 in Bradford.

It comes as NHS chiefs in England have sent a letter to all local health organisations providing instructions for an imminent start to the booster campaign.

The National Bookings System will open on Monday to some people as they become eligible for the jab, after an interim analysis on the safety and efficacy of Moderna booster doses was published in the journal Nature.

A small study examined a number of people offered a third dose of the vaccine and variant tweaked booster as part of a phase two trial.

Around 80 participants took part and showed elevated levels of antibodies after a booster.

Commenting on the study, Jonathan Ball, professor of molecular virology at the University of Nottingham, said: “This confirms that an additional boost of an mRNA vaccine, in this case a high or lower dose of the Moderna vaccine, increases the level of virus-killing antibodies in the blood, especially those able to kill variants of concern.

“This is true irrespective of whether the vaccine spike protein sequence is matched to the original strain of virus or the Beta variant.

“Whilst the study stopped short of showing whether it increased protection against infection or disease, it would be reasonable to assume that the higher antibody levels would be beneficial.

“This is one more piece of growing evidence to show that the decision to give boosters to our most vulnerable people over the coming weeks and months was a sensible one.”

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