56 cases of Covid-19 were recorded in South Kesteven but again there were no deaths.

As reported yesterday, the last fatality related to the virus in the district was on Wednesday May 5.

The last fatality priority to that was Tuesday March 25, showing South Kesteven has experienced just two deaths with Covid-19 in more than 14 weeks.

However, national deaths were 29 today and 176 over the week, a figure that is rising. The weekly total is 53 cases or 41.3% higher than the week before.

Today's, 56 positive tests compares with 33 yesterday, 35 on Wednesday, 22 last Friday and 12 the Friday before.

The 7-day rate is now 131.3 cases per 100,000, compared 113.7 yesterday, 56.2 last Friday and 40 the Thursday before.

However, despite the rate doubling over the past week, it remains below half the England average of 275.6 cases per 100,000.

The England average 7-day rate has steadily risen in recent weeks, while the South Kesteven figure has tended to fluctuate at a much reduced level before creeping upwards.

The figures come as testing has been ramped up significantly across the country, with 1.1 million tests taking place yesterday alone and 7.3 million tests over the past week.

There have been 2,337 new cases of coronavirus in Greater Lincolnshire so far this week, but hospitals in the county have seen no COVID-related deaths for more than a month.

The government's COVID-19 dashboard on Friday reported 343 new cases in Lincolnshire, 234 in North East Lincolnshire and 70 in North Lincolnshire.

The total of 647 is now the second highest daily cases number since November 19, which saw 676 cases confirmed.

The figure is 61.35% higher than last Friday's 401 cases – and 44% up on the 1,623 cases by this time last week.

In positive news, the figures showed no further deaths in the government or NHS England data today.

In fact, Lincolnshire's hospitals have now gone 35 days without a death being reported in the NHS data.

Meanwhile Northern Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust has not reported a death in 20 days.

Nationally, cases increased by 35,707 to 5,058,093 while deaths rose by 29 to 128,365.

Health bosses in Lincolnshire are urging people to bring their COVID-19 vaccines forward following the change in dosing strategy announced by the Prime Minister earlier this week.

Lincolnshire County Council's Director for Public Health Professor Derek Ward said there had been a 15-fold increase in cases between the end of May and the beginning of June and there was "no question the rates are going up".

"Number one is getting a vaccine, all the evidence says that even one dose is going to reduce both the chances of you getting it, but if you do get it then the chances of you getting a severe disease."

Professor Ward felt face coverings should have been kept as a requirement in the most recent restriction changes, but backed the end of school bubbles – despite a tripling of cases among children.

Nationally, the Office For National Statistics says COVID-19 infections increased by more than 50% in the week to July 3.

England's R number – the average number of people each person with COVID-19 goes on to infect – has also risen to between 1.2-1.5 – up from between 1.1-1.3 this time last week.

Cases of the Delta variant, originally discovered in India, have also risen by 34% nationwide – from 161,981 to 216,249.

The Prime Minister's office has urged people to carry on using the NHS COVID-19 app after reports users were deleting it to avoid being pinged to self isolate.

Earlier this week contact tracing figures had shown a 60% rise in the number of exposure alerts sent to the users of the NHS COVID-19 app.

The app sent 356,036 alerts in the week to June 30 – up 62% from 219,391 the previous week.

Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Friday, July 9

10,611 in North Lincolnshire (up 70)

302 from North Lincolnshire (no change)

43 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)

454 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (no change)

5,058,093 UK cases, 128,365 deaths