Local health bosses have praised a “phenomenal achievement” after a third of Lincolnshire’s eligible population were vaccinated against coronavirus.
Lincolnshire County Council’s director of public health Derek Ward said the latest good news regarding coronavirus included around 55,000 rapid PCR tests carried out a week, as well as a further 16,000 asymptomatic tests completed so far.
The county’s infection rate also continues to fall, with Lincolnshire currently hovering around 120 per 100,000 population — one of the lowest in the whole of the Midlands, compared to the England average of 158.
Mr Ward said “broadly speaking” around 200,000 people had been vaccinated, compared to 630,000 of the population over 60.
“It’s really positive news, getting through a third of the eligible people in the couple of months since we’ve been vaccinating, considering we were starting from scratch, is a phenomenal achievement,” he said.
The government confirmed on Monday that those over the age of 65 and the clinically vulnerable were now being offered the coronavirus vaccine.
Professor Ward said the challenge now was to vaccinate the same number of people in the new priority groups alongside beginning to offer the second doses for people in the first group.
“It’s another big challenge for the system, but we’re up to it and you can see that in the numbers,” he added.
He did warn the county was “not going to see zero infection rates” anytime soon, and current concerns included workplace outbreaks. However, he added: “We’ve got a really good system in place, so we will respond.”
He said the figures were going in the right direction for lockdown to end by May, but the rate of decrease is “slowing”.
“So we’ve got to be really careful as we open up businesses that we don’t see a big explosion in cases in workplaces,” he said.
“The next step is to open schools at the right time, but it’s important when we do to have couple of weeks before we do anything else, so we can be clear whether that is driving infections.
“If it’s not, then we move on to the next part. If there’s a sudden spike in cases […] we can go backwards on that particular sector.”
He added: “We can keep it a good news story by staying at home during lockdown, and when you do go out, stick by the hands, face, space rules to make sure we can get back to normal as soon as possible.”
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Two men have been arrested in Grimsby after a woman fell from a first-floor window in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Humberside Police were called to a property on Freeman Street following reports of a disturbance at 5.40am on Thursday morning.
When officers arrived it was discovered that a woman had fallen from a first-floor window.
The woman was taken to hospital to receive treatment for a head injury, which is not believed to be serious.
Two men have been arrested in connection with the incident, and officers are continuing enquiries to ascertain the circumstances that led to the woman falling.
A scene guard has been put in place on Freeman Street near to Riby Square and members of the public are being asked to avoid the area while police investigate.
If you have any information or may have witnessed the incident, call 101 and quote incident 67 of October 28.
Pumpkin the puppy received devastating news at an MRI scan on Wednesday, as it was discovered that she would be paralysed for life and her condition would not improve.
The Lincolnite has covered the progress of Pumpkin the paralysed puppy ever since her owner Tammie Fox told the story of her near three-month old West Highland Terrier on October 12.
She was born paralysed without the use of her back legs, and Tammie decided to start a fundraiser to help get her dog some new wheels to help her move around, as well as specialist veterinary care to see if anything could be done to help Pumpkin.
Looking good Pumpkin! Here she is posing with her cool new wheels. | Photo: Tammie Fox
Her fabulous walking wheels were then donated less than a week later by local charity Winston’s Wheels, and over £5,000 was raised for the treatment she needed.
Pumpkin travelled to Surrey on Wednesday, October 27 for an MRI scan with one of the best vets in the country, and the results were not what owner Tammie Fox had been hoping for.
Pumpkin’s back legs are limp and without feeling. | Photo: Tammie Fox
The scans found that her spine had been completely broken and fused back together in a “mangled mess”, and her back legs were basically backwards.
These results mean that she is paralysed from the waist down and will be for life, her situation will not improve and cannot be operated on.
Tammie hasn’t had Pumpkin long, but they are inseparable. | Photo: Tammie Fox
Pumpkin also has some new rubber shoes to protect her feet. | Photo: Tammie Fox
Pumpkin will require physiotherapy and hydrotherapy for the rest of her life due to the “extreme trauma” on her back and legs, which the vet said was the worst he had ever seen.
It isn’t clear how this has happened, but it was confirmed to Tammie that it was the fault of the breeder she came from.
Pumpkin also needs to wear nappies and rests on puppy pads for when she needs the toilet. | Photo: Tammie Fox
Tammie said it has left her “devastated and in shock” but vows to give Pumpkin the best quality of life possible.
She said on Wednesday evening: “We love Pumpkin puppy and we will give her everything she needs and wants. We will make sure she lives a happy life.”
She’s great at making new friends, even cats get on with her! | Photo: Tammie Fox
The positive to come from this is that Pumpkin will not require any further surgery, and the focus for Tammie is now to kit her out with a new pink set of wheels and book her physiotherapy.
As well as this, Tammie is planning some lovely holidays for Pumpkin to take her on some nice walks to the seaside with her new wheels.
Tammie has decided to close the GoFundMe and will donate any money left over from the veterinary care to local dog charity Breeds in Need Rescue UK.
The fundraiser managed to accumulate an incredible £7,500 in just over two weeks, and Pumpkin’s story has clearly resonated with many, as her Facebook page stands at close to 2,000 likes.
Pumpkin is a Terrier puppy that was born paralysed, meaning she cannot properly use her back legs. | Photo: Tammie Fox
The Leader of Boston Borough Council believes a Museum of Brexit would “provide a wealth of opportunities for the town” if it is chosen as the final location.
The trustees of the Museum of Brexit said earlier this month that they’re now deciding between Boston or Peterborough after 17 months of locational research, market trawling and site visits across the UK.
The location decision will be announced in early 2022 and the museum will open by late 2023, according to The Telegraph. The building earmarked for Boston, which had the biggest Brexit vote majority (75.6%) back in 2016, has not been disclosed at this stage.
In a statement to The Lincolnite, Councillor Paul Skinner, Leader of Boston Borough Council, said: “The potential for a Brexit Museum to be located within Boston provides a wealth of opportunities for the town, our community and our visitors.
“It also complements the ethos of the Town Investment Plan’s Town Centre Regeneration proposals by bringing our fabulous heritage buildings back to life to become vibrant visitor attractions that are also community hubs for learning and skills.”
There is a possibility that the museum, if located in Boston, will be home to several community groups who will benefit from the building and close ties with the professionals working there.
The proposed museum will celebrate the links between the UK and Europe. Boston is well positioned to do this as a centre of trade with Europe spanning hundreds of years.
There will also be opportunities to link learning and culture, to strengthen community involvement in pride of place through understanding the historic role Boston has played, both as part of the Hanseatic League, and more recently in the Brexit debate.
The Museum of Brexit describes itself a project that is “supported by many on both sides of the referendum question, and aims to provide a fair and balanced view of the campaign and what led up to the campaign”.
Meanwhile, the council plans to bid for city status as part of a competition launched by Queen Elizabeth II.
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