April 23, 2020 4.31 pm This story is over 47 months old

More than 1,000 cases of COVID-19 across Lincolnshire

Cases have hit another milestone
Lincoln man Gareth Miller is in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus.

More than 1,000 people have been tested positive for coronavirus across Lincolnshire as case numbers continue to grow.

The Department of Health confirmed that 1,034 cases had been recorded in the wider county with a death toll of 138.

712 have been found in Lincolnshire, while North Lincolnshire has 218 cases and 104 have been tested in North East Lincolnshire.

Tony McGinty, assistant director of public health at Lincolnshire County Council, put a recent rise in numbers down to increased testing of key workers.

It comes as a further 43 cases were confirmed positive today (April 23) in Lincolnshire.

Case and deaths numbers for Lincolnshire since start of April. Data: ULHT/NHS. Table: The Lincolnite.

The county also saw its biggest spike in new cases yesterday, when 76 people were tested positive.

Mr McGinty said the county’s testing capabilities, which includes three facilities in Lincoln and Boston, would mean more would be found.

“The more tests that we do, the more of the disease that we will find,” he said.

“We have really started to ramp up our testing in the county.”

It comes as the government plans to increase testing capacity for thousands of key workers across the country.

Lincolnshire Showground could become the county’s single testing facility.

Local health bosses recently set a target for 1,000 tests per day across the sites in Lincoln and Boston.

Last night, the government announced a further testing site at the Lincolnshire Showground.

Mr McGInty confirmed that the site will replace the current three facilities in the region “if the new facility works well”.

Meanwhile, officials have also said that around 150 contact tracers will be needed in the county after lockdown.

It comes as the government announced it will aim to train contact tracers within weeks in order to relax the restrictions.

Follow the latest coronavirus lockdown updates here