A further fall has been recorded in South Kesteven's 7-day infection rate.

Fourteen Covid-19 cases were recorded in South Kesteven over the weekend and eight today.

The number of cases has fallen from 67 in the week to Friday to 54 in the week to Sunday and 52 in the week to today. The equivalent figure last Monday was 71.

This gives a 7-day rate of 35.5 cases per 100,00, which compares with the England average of 26.8.

In total, 7503 cases have been recorded in South Kesteven since the start of the pandemic. This is just over one-in-20 of the population.

As mentioned, no deaths were recorded over the weekend and today, but last Tuesday the district record its first Covid-linked fatality in more than 3 weeks.

The total of 266 since the start of the pandemic means that around one-in-600 South Kesteven residents will have died withing 28 days of a positive test for the virus.

This is better than the England average of one-in-500 residents.

Overall in Greater Lincolnshire, there have been 56 new cases and two COVID-related deaths on Monday, which amounted for half of all national coronavirus deaths recorded today.

The government's COVID-19 dashboard on April 19 reported 37 new cases in Lincolnshire, 15 in North Lincolnshire and four in North Lincolnshire.

On Monday, one death was recorded in Lincolnshire and one in North Lincolnshire. This figure includes deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.

NHS England reported no hospital deaths across the region on Monday, which currently stands at 1,303.

Nationally, cases increased by 2,963 to 4,390,783, while deaths rose by four to 127,274 — the lowest national death number since September. Half of those deaths were in Greater Lincolnshire.

Over 10 million people have now had the second dose of a COVID vaccine nationally.

Over the weekend, Greater Lincolnshire's infection rates have dropped across each district, except Lincoln which has seen a rise to 16.1 per 100,000 of the population.

Boston remains at the top of Greater Lincolnshire rankings and 7th highest nationally, but is still seeing a fall in infections.

North Kesteven now has the lowest infection rate in Greater Lincolnshire and one of the lowest nationally.

In national news, health officials are investigating whether a COVID variant first found in India spreads more easily and evades vaccines. There is not yet enough data to classify it as a "variant of concern", a leading scientist has said. But Dr Susan Hopkins of Public Health England said cases had been found in the UK that were not linked to travel, with their origin being investigated. Boris Johnson has said it was "only sensible" to cancel his trip to India, due to take place on April 26, given the coronavirus situation in the country. India has been reporting more than 200,000 COVID cases daily since April 15 and has been added to the UK COVID travel 'red list'. Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Monday, April 19

59,062 cases (up 56)

41,118 in Lincolnshire (up 37)

9,319 in North Lincolnshire (up 15)

8,625 in North East Lincolnshire (up four)

2,186 deaths (up two)

1,613 from Lincolnshire (up one)

305 from North Lincolnshire (up one)

268 from North East Lincolnshire (no change)

of which 1,303 hospital deaths (no change)

811 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (no change)

41 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)

1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)

450 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (no change) 4,390,783 UK cases, 127,274 deaths