September 22, 2021 5.24 pm This story is over 31 months old

Children among highest COVID transmission, as Lincolnshire records 624 new cases on Wednesday

JVT and Whitty back up jabs for kids
The practice helped to ensure local schoolchildren were safe | Photo: Adobe Stock

Children aged 12-17 are among the highest transmission group for coronavirus and will “inevitably” get it, health bosses said, as 624 cases have been confirmed in Greater Lincolnshire on Wednesday.

Government figures on Wednesday showed 402 new cases in Lincolnshire, 62 in North East Lincolnshire and 160 in North Lincolnshire.

Four further deaths of Greater Lincolnshire residents were recorded in the government figures, with three in Lincolnshire and one in North East Lincolnshire.

NHS data reported one fatality at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Trust.

Nationally cases increased by 34,460 to 7,530,103, while deaths rose by 166 to 135,621.

England’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty has told the government’s Education Committee today that there is “substantial transmission” of COVID-19 between the ages of 12-17.

“Virtually any child, unvaccinated, is likely to get an infection at some point between 12 and 15,” he said.

“There is definitely substantial transmission happening in this age group. In fact, the age group we’re talking about is the one in which the highest rate of transmission is currently occurring, as far as we can tell,”

Lincolnshire’s coronavirus cases up to September 22. | Image: GOV.uk

Professor Whitty told the committee that both the risk to children from COVID-19 and from vaccination was “small” but added the benefits of vaccinating them were greater than the potential for harm.

He added that vaccination was “not a silver bullet” but it would “significantly reduce… the amount of disruption” to education.

Also speaking about giving one dose of the Pfizer vaccine to school children, deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said the side effects of that first dose are lower than those from a second dose.

He went on to say it is “extremely inconvenient to be laid low” by COVID-19, albeit for a small number of days.

Mr Whitty said that half of children have already had coronavirus during the pandemic.

“Because the Delta variant is so infectious we’re not looking at a theoretical risk of children 12 to 17 becoming infected. I think it is really quite inevitable that they will be so at some point,” added Professor Van Tam.

Lincolnshire’s coronavirus cases broken down by age range up to September 22. | Image: GOV.uk

According to the government data, in Lincolnshire, the infection rate for those age ranges is 963.7 per 100,000 population for 10-14-year-olds and 547.6 for 15-19-year-olds.

In North East Lincolnshire the figures are 1,045.9 per 100,000 population and 552.2 respectively, while in North Lincolnshire they are 1,591 and 896 per 100,000 population.

ALSO READ: Lincoln MP speaks out against child vaccinations for COVID-19

Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Wednesday, September 22

109,625 cases (up 624)

  • 71,913 in Lincolnshire (up 402)
  • 17,370 in North Lincolnshire (up 160)
  • 20,342 in North East Lincolnshire (up 62)

2,325 deaths (up four)

  • 1,702 from Lincolnshire (up three)
  • 316 from North Lincolnshire (no change)
  • 307 from North East Lincolnshire (up one)

of which 1,395 hospital deaths (up one)

  • 853 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (no change)
  • 44 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)
  • 1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
  • 497 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (up one)
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.