South Kesteven recorded more than a 100 cases today but still the district has now gone more than ten weeks without a death.

The deaths tally remains at 270, with the last fatality related to the virus in the district being 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 15 weeks.

The district recorded 109 people testing positive today, compared with 61 on Thursday and 42 on Wednesday.

Today's 109 compares with 56 last Friday and 22 the Friday before.

Overall, there have been 8568 recorded cases in South Kesteven since the start of the pandemic- equivalent to about one for about 16 residents in the district.

However, due to how it is calculated, the 7-day rate is now 201.5 cases per 100,000- meaning one-in-500 will have tested positive with the virus over the past week- compared with 201.5 yesterday, 131.3 last Friday and 56.2 the Friday before.

However, despite the rate almost doubling over the past week, and almost quadrupling in a fortnight, it remains almost half the England average of 360.4 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 1.2 million tests taking place yesterday and 7.2 million over the past week.

Overall, there have been 3,351 new cases of coronavirus in Greater Lincolnshire so far this week, as hospitals in the county have seen their first COVD-19 death after more than a month without.

The government's COVID-19 dashboard on Friday reported 461 new cases in Lincolnshire, 275 in North East Lincolnshire and 118 in North Lincolnshire.

The figure is 32% higher than last Friday's 647 cases – and 43% up on the 2,337 cases by this time last week.

There were no deaths reported in NHS figures today, however, there have been three so far this week in the region's hospitals, while government data has recorded the death of four residents. These were the first deaths in over a month to be recorded.

Nationally, cases increased by 50,870 on Friday – the highest since mid-January – to 5,332,371 while deaths rose by 49 to 128,642.

Locally, Lincolnshire's COVID-19 numbers could peak in the next month, health bosses have said after the region recorded its highest daily cases since November 12 and its first death in 41 days.

However, vaccinations in the county are still rising, albeit slower now, with 88% of the eligible population now having had their first dose and 70% their second.

There are currently 22 COVID patients in Lincolnshire's hospitals.

Nationally, the country looks forward to the lifting of restrictions on Monday, which will include the removal of limits on gatherings, making face coverings no longer required by law and letting nightclubs open.

The coronavirus reproduction number in England has remained basically unchanged, going from between 1.2 and 1.5 to 1.2 and 1.4 this week.

Figures from the office for National Statistics show the infection rate in England at 1 in 95 in the last week – up from 1 in 160.

In positive news, nationally a further 61,681 people have had their first coronavirus vaccine and 201,893 have had their second dose.

It means that 87.6% of adults in the UK have now had their initial shot, while 67.5% have had two.

Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Friday, July 16

11,252 in North Lincolnshire (up 118)

302 from North Lincolnshire (no change)

43 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)

456 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (no change)

5,332,371 UK cases, 128,642 deaths