Fall in county’s infection rate
There have been 200 new coronavirus cases and five COVID-related deaths in Greater Lincolnshire on Wednesday — compared to 181 cases and six deaths last Wednesday.
The government’s COVID-19 dashboard recorded 127 new cases in Lincolnshire, 37 in North Lincolnshire and 36 in North East Lincolnshire.
On Wednesday, three deaths were registered in Lincolnshire, one in North Lincolnshire and one in North East 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 on Wednesday – four at at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust and one at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust.
On Wednesday, national cases increased by 5,926 to 4,234,924, while deaths rose by 190 to 124,987.
In local news, the words ‘COVID lies’ have once again been spray painted on walls in Louth, despite a local councillor’s best efforts to scrub away the vandalism on a weekly basis.
Police investigated last year when the graffiti first started appearing on a boundary wall on St Mary’s Lane in the Lincolnshire town.
Some 95% of primary pupils are attending Lincolnshire schools this week, compared to a quarter last month due to schools and colleges in England being closed except for children of key workers and vulnerable pupils.
Around a third of secondary pupils have returned this week compared to 5% in February, with the other two thirds adopting a phased return to the classroom so they can be tested in a “managed way”. This is expected to increase over the next few days.
Over 10,000 people have now had a rapid coronavirus test at one of the two community testing facilities in Lincoln since the start of 2021.
An average of 200 people per day have been for tests between the two sites at Lincoln City’s LNER Stadium and at St Swithin’s Community Centre off Monks Road. The rapid lateral flow tests provide results in less than an hour.
Greater Lincolnshire’s average infection rate has seen a decline since Monday, but still remains above the England average of 61 cases per 100,000 people.
Just two districts have seen a spike since Monday – North East Lincolnshire and Lincoln City.
North Kesteven now has the lowest infection rate in Greater Lincolnshire with South Holland having the highest and ranked 10th nationally.
Here’s Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates up to March 10, according to the government dashboard:
Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates from Mar 1 to Mar 10. | Data: Gov UK / Table: James Mayer for The Lincolnite
In national news, Boris Johnson has “corrected” European Council President Charles Michel over his claim that the UK had imposed a “outright ban” on the export of COVID-19 vaccines.
Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Johnson said the country had “not blocked” the sale abroad of “a single vaccine or its components”.
Britons hoping to go on holiday after lockdown eases can think about booking a getaway to Greece for mid-May, while Spain has said it could start using vaccine passports that same month.
Greece is planning on welcoming foreign tourists from 14 May depending on the status of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Greater Lincolnshire includes Lincolnshire and the unitary authorities of North and North East (Northern) Lincolnshire.
54,832 cases (up 200)
2,117 deaths (up five)
of which 1,256 hospital deaths (up five)
4,234,924 UK cases, 124,987 deaths
A dramatic video shows a car engulfed in flames in the car park at Lincoln County Hospital on Tuesday afternoon.
An on-call crew from Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue attended the scene on Greetwell Road shortly before 5pm on Tuesday, April 13.
The crew used one hose reel to extinguish the fire and fortunately no casualties were reported.
The car is probably a write-off. | Photo: The Lincolnite
Dramatic pictures from the scene show the severe damage that was caused to the front of the car.
Fall in county infections but a Boston spike
There have been 50 new coronavirus cases and three COVID-related deaths in Greater Lincolnshire on Tuesday — compared to 58 cases and no deaths this time last week.
The government’s COVID-19 dashboard recorded 26 new cases in Lincolnshire, 19 in North Lincolnshire and five in North East Lincolnshire.
On Tuesday, three deaths were registered in Lincolnshire, none in North East Lincolnshire and -1 in North Lincolnshire. Fluctuations in data are usually due to some deaths in those areas being reallocated to other regions across the UK or a miscount. These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.
NHS England has reported two new local hospital deaths at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust hospitals.
On Tuesday, national cases increased by 2,472 to 4,375,814, while deaths rose by 23 to 127,123.
In local news, people aged over 45 can now book their COVID vaccinations on the NHS website after the government reached its target of offering a first dose to the nine most vulnerable groups.
There were recently some technical difficulties for people accessing the NHS website, but vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said the issues have been fixed – book a vaccine online here and find out if you are eligible.
Over the weekend, Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rate has fallen, with a spike in Boston only.
Similarly, the England average has also seen a drop in infections, but still remains nearly half Greater Lincolnshire’s rates.
Lincoln has dropped by more than half over the weekend and now has one of the smallest rates in the UK, with just 9.1 per 100,000 of the population infected with COVID-19.
Here’s Greater Lincolnshire’s COVID-19 infection rates up to April 12:
Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates from Apr 5 to Apr 12. | Data: Gov UK / Table: James Mayer for The Lincolnite
In national news, Boris Johnson has warned that the reduction in coronavirus infections, hospitalisations and deaths “has not been achieved” by the rollout of COVID vaccines.
The prime minister, speaking the day after the latest easing of lockdown restrictions, instead said it was the national shutdown that had been “overwhelmingly important” in driving down COVID rates.
England is giving out its first doses of the Moderna jab, the third COVID-19 vaccine in the nation’s rollout.
It will be available at 21 sites, included the Madejski Stadium in Reading and the Sheffield Arena.
Along with the Pfizer jab, it offers an alternative to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for under-30s, after concerns about a possible link to very rare blood clots.
Greater Lincolnshire includes Lincolnshire and the unitary authorities of North and North East (Northern) Lincolnshire.
58,772 cases (up 50)
2,184 deaths (up three)
of which 1,302 hospital deaths (up two)
4,375,814 UK cases, 127,123 deaths
There will be another Kill The Bill protest in Lincoln next week, rallying against a new government bill that diminishes protesting rights.
Protests have been rife across the country since the government’s proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill was first discussed, with scenes turning violent in Bristol.
Over two hundred people peacefully took part in the city’s first march at Speakers’ Corner on April 3, including Extinction Rebellion activists and Socialist and Labour supporters.
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Now, after a post started doing the rounds on social media, another protest has apparently been scheduled for 2pm on Monday, April 17 at the same location on Lincoln High Street, as part of a national day of action.
A poster promoting a second event has been shared across social media platforms.
Protests are lawful once again after the government eased lockdown restrictions on March 29, but organisers are required to submit a risk assessment prior to any event.
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Organisers of the last protest were in close communication with police to make the event safe, and The Lincolnite has asked Lincolnshire Police if they have been made aware of another protest, but are yet to receive a reply.
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