There have been 867 new coronavirus cases in Greater Lincolnshire and 40 COVID-related deaths so far this week – compared to 910 cases and 45 deaths this time last week.

The government's COVID-19 dashboard on Friday recorded 119 new cases in Lincolnshire, 32 in North East Lincolnshire and 12 in North Lincolnshire.

Among the districts, South Kesteven today reported one death and the declining case rate stabilising with a minor increase today.

The district now reports 245 fatalities of people dying after being tested positive with the virus, which amounts to about one-in-600 of its population since the start of the pandemic.

The number of cases rose by 34 cases (down from 38 yesterday) to 6629, which amounts to just over one-in-20 of the district's population.

The 34 is less than yesterday, but after a sharp decline in case numbers, means South Kesteven has recorded 157 cases in the past week.

This compares to 260 last Friday and 365 the Friday before, showing how case numbers have more than halved in the past fortnight.

The 7-day rate is now 110.2 cases per 100,000, which is well below the England average of 133.4, which is also declining rapidly.

Overall, on Friday, seven deaths were registered in Lincolnshire and none in Northern Lincolnshire. These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.

NHS England reported one new local hospital death at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, bringing the total so far this week to 20, compared to 22 last week.

On Friday, national cases increased by 12,027 to 4,095,269, deaths rose by 533 to 119,920 while COVID first jab numbers hit over 16.8 million.

In local news, Lincolnshire's vaccination rollout will now move onto the next priority groups after successfully providing over 70s with the COVID-19 vaccine.

Over 203,000 vaccinations have taken place in Lincolnshire between December 8 and February 14, according to the latest NHS England data.

The county's progress with administering the vaccine has meant that the rollout can now move onto the next priority groups, cohorts five and six.

Local health bosses have said Lincolnshire is on a "downward trend" despite a COVID-19 infection rate spike in Boston.

Boston currently has the highest infection rate in the county with 191 per 100,000 people as of Thursday evening — above the England average of 137.8 and ranked 56th nationally.

Up to February 16, Boston has seen nearly 5,000 rapid COVID tests with 129 positive results in their district.

Greater Lincolnshire's most recent infection rate data from Friday shows a slight fall overall compared to Wednesday's figures with Boston still climbing the UK ranks (37th).

South Holland, North Kesteven and North East Lincolnshire have also seen spikes in the last two days.

However, five of the nine Greater Lincolnshire districts, including South Kesteven, have seen a fall in their rates of infection, mirroring the England average decrease.

In national news, the UK's coronavirus reproduction number – or R number – now stands at between 0.6 and 0.9, meaning for every 10 people infected, they will pass COVID on to between six and nine others.

This represents a slight fall from last week's estimate of between 0.7 and 0.9, when it dropped below one for the first time since July.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to spend the weekend finalising his "roadmap" for easing COVID restrictions in England and opening up the economy.

The government is "crunching the numbers" ahead of Monday's announcement, Foreign Office minister James Cleverly said.

Coronavirus vaccine passports are "feasible" but not until we know more about how long immunity lasts, experts have said.

They have the potential to discriminate against the young, pregnant or those who can't have the jab for medical reasons – this must be factored into any such scheme before launching, according to a Royal Society report.

Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Friday, February 19

7,825 in North Lincolnshire (up 12)

297 from North Lincolnshire (no change)

41 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)

414 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (up one)

4,095,269 UK cases, 119,920 deaths