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Lincolnshire health bosses have said the government’s decision to delay the lifting of COVID restrictions was the “right decision”.

Andy Fox, Lincolnshire County Council’s director of public health, said he understood people were “fed up” after more than a year of lockdown and delays to freedom, but said this time it was different – allowing more time for vaccinations, rather than just supressing case numbers.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Monday that there would be a four week delay in the final stage of lifting restrictions until July 19 in order to get more people vaccinated and slow down or stop any rise in hospitalisations.

Despite seeing an increase in COVID-19 rates, Lincolnshire remains “still far lower” than other areas of the country with an infection rate of 28.5 per 100,000 population, compared to the England average of 67.1.

Mr Fox said: “It is the right thing to do to delay further loosening of restrictions for a few weeks at this point in order to get more vaccinations, in people’s arms.

“Unfortunately we have seen a sharp rise in cases in some areas of the country associated with this delta area and we do need to react to that.

“It wouldn’t be wise to continue with the relaxation. Hopefully this pause will give us additional time to increase uptake of vaccination especially in some of the younger age ranges, and that will mean that the peak of any wave that is coming will be lower and lives will be saved.”

Boris Johnson speaking on June 14.

He said the county had not yet seen a sharp rise, but added that once figures start going up they have had a historic tendency to then accelerate.

On Friday, Lincolnshire celebrated having given out its 500,000th first dose, meaning more than 80% of the county has now been jabbed at least once.

This morning 23-24 year olds are being invited to take up their vaccinations, while the second doses for the Over 40s are also being brought forward.

Mr Fox said that with all the good news, he understood why people might be “fed up” of the delays. In response to the announcement on Monday #ImDone and #EnoughIsEnough were trending on Twitter and anti-COVID sentiment has increased in response to news stories.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has been incredibly hard for everybody, and it’s been a massive impact upon all our lives so I completely understand that people want to be done with it. We’ve all echoed that sentiment, we absolutely want this to be over, but it’s very clear that the disease is not going to go away overnight.”

Lincolnshire’s coronavirus case date up to June 14.

Without the measures he said there would be “far more hospitalisations”.

“It is a stark choice, it’s one the government has really wrestled with. Nobody wants to be in these restrictions at all, unfortunately the alternative is even worse.”

He praised the work residents had done so far, and urged people to continue to take-up the vaccine.

Not doing so, he said would only jeopardise further restriction relaxations.

Derek Ward, Director of Public Health, added: “Of course, the balance with supporting businesses by opening up the economy is a difficult one and many people will be disappointed but we don’t want to open up and then have to go into reverse and shut things down again.

“A clear benefit of the vaccine programme is that although infection rates are rising due to people mixing together more freely and the Delta variant taking hold, hospitalisations and deaths remain low.

“Vaccines work and give you protection against illness from Covid-19 as well as protecting others around you. But no vaccine offers 100% protection so please remember the basics – hands, face, space and fresh air are still our first line of defence in the battle against Covid-19.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a big impact on the NHS. Although COVID cases in our hospitals have now reduced we are still having to work in COVID-safe ways. This means that it will take a long time for the NHS to restore services to pre-pandemic levels.

In Lincolnshire, we will work hard to tackle the backlog of patients whose care has been impacted by the pandemic. We need to do this whilst also keeping our patients safe.

Patients are understandably anxious about the length of time that they are having to wait for their hospital appointments. Unfortunately, we are unable to confirm how long the wait may be in many cases.

Hospitals are contacting all patients to understand their current situation and prioritise those in most urgent need. Our hospitals are doing their utmost to ensure patients receive the treatment they require and to resume normal services as soon as possible.

Our hospitals follow very strict rules for preventing all types of infection, including COVID-19. If you need to be admitted for surgery, you will be cared for in a low risk area. All patients who are admitted to this area will need to have had a negative COVID swab test before they are admitted. Staff working in these areas will regularly be tested too, and wear suitable personal protective equipment (PPE).

Visiting is now allowed in most areas of our hospitals but is still subject to some restrictions. All our patients, visitors, and staff should wear hospital-issued face masks when they are in our hospitals.

If you are waiting to be seen as an outpatient or inpatient, and your symptoms have deteriorated, you can contact the hospital you have been referred to for a specialist to review your referral letter and to discuss your changing symptoms (see contact numbers for each hospital). Your GP practice is not able to help with getting your referral dealt with any quicker, however they may be able to support with symptom management if your symptoms have worsened.

We realise that this is a difficult time, especially for those people who are waiting for treatment, and we apologise for the distress this causes. We will do everything we can to address this, and are working on initiatives that will reduce the length of time people are waiting.

We would also like to take this opportunity to assure our patients, carers, and their families that we remain committed to providing the highest quality, safe care for everyone.

Dr Kieran Sharrock, medical director for Lincolnshire's Local Medical Committee

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has delayed lifting the final stages of lockdown restrictions until July 19 amid rising COVID numbers.

During a media conference on Monday evening, Mr Johnson said rising coronavirus numbers elsewhere in the country were an early warning sign for the rest of the UK —and that the delay would allow millions more to be vaccinated, while monitoring the data on the new Delta (Indian) variant.

Mr Johnson also confirmed 23 and 24-year-olds will be invited to get their vaccination from Tuesday, June 15, as the government attempts to bring forward its plans to give every adult in the UK their first dose by July 19. Second doses for the over 40s will also be brought forward.

The move will mean pubs remain restricted to table service for groups of six, theatres and indoor venues restricted to 50% capacity, nightclubs remaining closed and the guidance to work from home staying in place.

However, under the new guidance, weddings and wakes will be able to go ahead with more than 30 guests as long as social distancing measures were in place.

Some pilot events such as Euro 2020 and some theatrical performances will also still go ahead.

Mr Johnson said: “The last three steps have inevitably been accompanied by more infection and more hospitalisation because, we must be clear that we cannot simply eliminate COVID.

“We must learn to live with it and with, every day that goes by, we’re better protected by the vaccines, and we’re better able to live with the disease.”

Boris Johnson speaking on June 14.

He said there were millions of younger adults who had not been vaccinated and “sadly, a proportion of the elderly and vulnerable may still succumb – even if they have had two jobs.”

He said the Delta variant had spread faster than the third wave that was predicted in the February roadmap, with cases growing at about 64% a week, and that there was a possibility the virus could outrun the vaccines and thousands more deaths would ensue.

“Even if the link between infection and hospitalisation has been weakened it hasn’t been severed,” he added.

However, he said: “As things stand, and on the evidence that I can see right now, I’m confident that we will not need more than four weeks, and we won’t need to go beyond July 19.

“It’s unmistakably clear the vaccines are working, and the sheer scale of the vaccine rollout has made opposition incomparably better than in previous waves.”

Businesses and others sectors, including theatre and live music venues, have already reacted to the set-back, expressing disappointment and anger at the move, which will leave them with even less time trading.

Others have raised concerns over the mental health of the nation.

Lincolnshire’s coronavirus case date up to June 14.

The latest figures show there have been 87 new COVID-19 cases in Greater Lincolnshire on Monday but no deaths — compared to just 63 cases (38% week on week increase) and one death last Monday.

The government’s COVID-19 dashboard recorded 43 new cases in Lincolnshire, 35 in North East Lincolnshire and nine in North Lincolnshire.

No further deaths were added on to the government’s public health figures or those from NHS England.

More than 500,000 people in Lincolnshire had been given their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine by Friday last week, which could be contributing to the low hospital admissions figures.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust has confirmed it currently has five COVID-positive patients on its wards, while Northern Lincolnshire and Goole has just one at Grimsby hospital.

Meanwhile, more than 380,000 second doses of the vaccine have also been administered, meaning the county is getting closer to hitting one million vaccinations in total.

More than 41 million people in the UK have had a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while nearly 30 million have had two doses.

Nationally COVID cases increased to 4,565,813 with 7,490 of those on Sunday while deaths rose to 127,904.