June 11, 2021 5.09 pm This story is over 33 months old

COVID cases doubled this week in Lincolnshire as PM faces tricky unlocking decision

Cases are spiking in Lincolnshire
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

There has been a 113% spike in COVID-19 cases so far this week in Lincolnshire, and coronavirus-related deaths have gone up by one compared to last week.

The latest figures show there have been 275 coronavirus cases so far this week and two deaths — a rise of 113.18% compared to the 129 cases and one death last week.

The government’s COVID-19 dashboard on Friday recorded 29 new cases in Lincolnshire, 22 in North East Lincolnshire and one in North Lincolnshire.

NHS England has reported one local hospital deaths in Greater Lincolnshire’s four health trusts so far this week (but none on Friday), up from none this time last week.

On Friday, national COVID cases increased by 8,125 to 4,550,944 — the highest daily figure since late February — while deaths rose by 17 to 127,884.

In local news, around half of the new COVID-19 cases in Lincolnshire are currently thought to be the Delta variant, health bosses have said, as the county saw a small overall rise in infection rates.

Public Health England said on Friday the variant is 64% more transmissible than the Alpha (Kent) one and confirmed vaccines were less effective against it.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has also come under pressure from the national organisation The Association of Directors of Public Health (UK) which has said unlocking “as early as June 21 risks reversing the significant progress we have made“.

Lincolnshire’s coronavirus case date up to June 11.

In a blog post Jim McManus, vice president, said: “We must be realistic about what lies ahead – it can be assumed that even with vaccines, variants of the virus will circulate endemically for some time to come.

“We must therefore find a way of living, working, and studying as safely as possible whilst COVID continues to circulate.

“As with most disease control, there is no magic bullet. Instead, we must continue to use a combination strategy as outlined in our guidance Living Safely with COVID.

“It is the combination of measures, each inadequate in and of themselves, that work together to disrupt transmission and reduce harm.”

The government has continuously said it would look at the data and share a decision on Monday, June 14.

Nadim Zahawi, the vaccines minister, told BBC Breakfast on Friday: “We have to be really careful so that those hard won wars against the virus are not squandered.”

“We all know the virus hasn’t gone away, it will attempt to mutate,” he said.

“The Delta variant is more infectious and more severe for those it infects. So, we have to be really careful”.

Lincolnshire on Friday also celebrated giving out 500,000 first doses of the vaccine.

Around 80% of Lincolnshire residents have now had their initial jab, while 60% have received their second.

At the G7 summit taking place in Cornwall, the UK has also announced it will donate at least 100 million surplus coronavirus vaccine doses to other countries within the next year

The latest figures show that England’s R Number has increased from 1-1.2 to 1.2-1.4, according to the latest figures.

It means that every 10 people with COVID this week will go on to infect between 12-14 more.

Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Friday, June 11

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

61,071 cases (up 52)

  • 42,348 in Lincolnshire (up 29)
  • 9,815 in North Lincolnshire (up one)
  • 8,908 in North East Lincolnshire (up 22)

2,197 deaths (up one)

  • 1,622 from Lincolnshire (up one)
  • 307 from North Lincolnshire (no change)
  • 268 from North East Lincolnshire (no change)

of which 1,311 hospital deaths (no change)

  • 816 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (no change)
  • 41 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)
  • 1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
  • 453 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (no change)

4,550,944 UK cases, 127,884 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.