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There have been 1,670 new coronavirus cases and 71 COVID-related deaths in Greater Lincolnshire in this week – a decrease compared to 2,239 cases and 82 deaths last week.

Some 375 new cases and 12 deaths were reported in Greater Lincolnshire on Friday. The government’s COVID-19 dashboard recorded 309 new cases in Lincolnshire, 43 in North Lincolnshire and 23 in North East Lincolnshire. Lincolnshire cases have now surpassed 30,000 since the pandemic started.

On Friday, 11 deaths were registered in Lincolnshire and one in North Lincolnshire. These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.

NHS England reported five new local hospital deaths at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust and one at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals. Some 48 hospital deaths have been recorded this week, compared to 36 last week.

On Friday, national cases increased by 55,761 to 3,316,019, while deaths rose by 1,280 to 87,295.

Here’s Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rate over the last seven days up to January 15 according to the government dashboard:

Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates from Jan 8 to Jan 15. | Data: Gov UK / Table: James Mayer for The Lincolnite

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Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Friday, January 15

Greater Lincolnshire includes Lincolnshire and the unitary authorities of North and North East (Northern) Lincolnshire.

43,461 cases (up 375)

• 30,045 in Lincolnshire (up 309)
• 6,825 in North Lincolnshire (up 43)
• 6,591 in North East Lincolnshire (up 23)

1,646 deaths (up 12)

• 1,161 from Lincolnshire (up 11)
• 266 from North Lincolnshire (up one)
• 219 from North East Lincolnshire (no change)

of which 974 hospital deaths (up six)

• 588 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (up five)
• 29 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (up one)
• 1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
• 356 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (no change)

3,316,019 UK cases, 87,295 deaths

DATA SOURCE — FIGURES CORRECT AT THE TIME OF the latest update. postcode data includes deaths not in healthcare facilities or in hospitals outside authority boundaries.

A new COVID-19 vaccination centre, one of the largest in the country, will open in Boston next week, and The Lincolnite went for a look inside.

The centre is based at the Princess Royal Sports Arena on Great Fen Road, and will be operational as of Monday, January 18.

It will be helping to deliver the national coronavirus vaccine rollout, offering vaccinations to vulnerable people in key priority groups.

A look inside Boston’s new COVID-19 vaccine site. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

The first patients to use the centre will live within 45 minutes of the site and are in the process of being contacted to book an appointment.

Strict coronavirus guidelines are, of course, in place at the centre, including the wearing of a face covering at all times.

It is among the largest in the country. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Social distancing has been set out by staff and volunteers at the centre, as well as a one-way system to avoid people crossing over.

The centre has been introduced as a response to the large volume of coronavirus cases in the Boston area, as well as two rapid mass testing sites which will open next week.

Staff will replenish PPE and help with any issues patients have. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Boston remains alongside Grantham and Lincoln as one of the Lincolnshire areas with the highest COVID transmission.

Lincolnshire health bosses weren’t made aware of the new site, adding to the frustrations they have aired over “nonsensical secrecy” from government and the NHS.

How the vaccination beds look. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Here are the steps and where to go when getting your COVID-19 vaccination at the new Boston site.

Step 1: You will be greeted at the entrance and encouraged to sanitise your hands, before being guided through a single-file door to the next stage.

You are directed through a single-file door towards the centre. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Step 2: Once you are through the door, you will follow the one-way system through a gazebo, heading towards the vaccination hub.

A long gazebo-style walkway leads you to the main entrance of the hub. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Step 3: At the end of the tented walkway is the entrance to the sports hall, which is where you will be given your vaccine.

You will arrive at the sports hall, where the vaccination takes place. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Step 4: This is like the reception area, where you will sign in and wait further instruction, waiting in socially distanced seats behind a rope. This is where you will fill in a consent form.

You will be asked to wait in socially distanced spaces behind a rope before making your way to the main area. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Step 5: This is where you will be taken to allow for vaccinations to occur at a safe two-metre distance away from everyone else.

You will then be shown to a seat to wait for your vaccination to take place. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Step 6: Staff will be on hand to assist with any queries or concerns you have before getting called to the tent for vaccination.

Sanitiser and social distancing among the many measures inside the centre.| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Step 7: Once you have been vaccinated, you will be asked to leave the sports hall by following the designated exit signs.

Once the vaccination is done, you will be escorted away from the building safely. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Part of Lincolnshire has vaccinated the majority of its care home residents, according to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

In a press briefing on Friday, Mr Johnson paid particular praise to “Northwest Lincolnshire,” where he said vaccination teams had protected more than 80% of care home residents.

He said: “It’s thanks to that amazing constellation of vaccination teams, doctors, nurses, armed forces, local authorities, pharmacies, volunteers that we’re steadily building up that immunity — that protection for the NHS, for us all.”

During the briefing Mr Johnson confirmed that more than 3.2 million people across the UK had received their first dose of vaccine.

Almost 45% of the figures are those over the age of 80, and 40% nationally are care home residents.

“We are steadily protecting those most at risk,” said Mr Johnson.

The briefing also saw the PM announce the closure of all air travel corridors across the UK from Monday.

The move will initially last for a month though will be kept under review.

Under the new measures, anyone arriving in the UK must quarantine for 10 days or undertake a test on day five.

It follows the appearance of a number of new variants of COVID-19 which are recognised to be more transmissible than the previous version.

The government had originally banned flights from South America and Portugal due to a new strain in Brazil however brought in the new measures in a bid to “protect us against the risk of as yet unidentified strains”.