South Kesteven has suffered a sharp rise in cases today, with 34 cases recorded, compared with 8 yesterday.

The figures, according to the government's Covid-19 tracker, puts the district on 6750 cases (about one case in 25 residents) since the start of the pandemic.

However, over a week, the number of cases increased from 179 on Monday to 183 on Tuesday and 187 today, compared with a recent low of 155 last Thursday.

The 7-day rate increased from 125.7 cases per 100,000 on Monday to 128.5 cases per 100,000 yesterday and 131.3 cases per 100,000 today, which compares to an England average of 119.9 cases per 100,000.

The number of deaths increased 2 to 250- about one-in-600 of South Kesteven's population.

Overall, there have been 217 new coronavirus cases and four COVID-related deaths in Greater Lincolnshire on Wednesday — compared to 204 cases and 10 deaths last Wednesday.

The government's COVID-19 dashboard recorded 157 new cases in Lincolnshire, 38 in North East Lincolnshire and 22 in North Lincolnshire.

On Wednesday, three deaths were registered in Lincolnshire and one in North Lincolnshire. These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.

NHS England reported two new local hospital deaths on Wednesday, one at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust and one at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust.

On Wednesday, national cases increased by 9,938 to 4,144,577, deaths rose by 442 to 121,747 and first dose jabs have surpassed 18 million.

In local news, all four Lincoln and Boston COVID-19 rapid testing sites will remain open until at least the end of March in a bid to test, trace and combat the spread of coronavirus in the county.

In Lincoln, these include the Sincil Bank and St Swithin's centres, and in Boston the Peter Paine Performance Centre and Tollfield Campus Haven High, but these Boston sites will be relocated.

By March 2, the new sites in Boston will be the Fenside Community Centre, Taverner Road and St Nicholas Community Centre, Skirbeck Road.

Students at the University of Lincoln will be advised to return to campus a week early for coronavirus testing ahead of some face-to-facing teaching resuming next month.

From March 8, face-to-face learning can resume for University of Lincoln students doing practical or practice-based subjects and need specialist equipment and facilities. Universities were told not to ask students to return if their course can reasonably be continued online.

Lincolnshire councillors are "pleased" with the government's plan to get children back in classrooms from March 8, but said the pandemic had a major impact on pupils' learning.

The roadmap out of lockdown was announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday where all secondary school pupils will have to take two rapid lateral flow tests a week once back, but primary school children will not need to do so.

Greater Lincolnshire has seen a fall in infection rates since Monday, mirroring a decrease nationally.

South Holland has overtaken Boston with the highest county infection rate of 183.1 per 100,000 people.

Five of the nine Greater Lincolnshire districts have seen a rise in infection rates since Monday, with North East Lincolnshire jumping to fourth place.

Nationally, an apparent fall in the number of Britons being vaccinated against COVID-19 each day is down to "supply fluctuations", England's deputy chief medical officer has told Sky News.

Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said it "will take a few months" before vaccine manufacturers are able to produce doses in a "steady routine", adding that "global supply restraints" have also hampered the UK's vaccine rollout.

In world news, Ghana has become the first country to receive coronavirus vaccines through the Covax vaccine-sharing initiative.

The World Health Organization (WHO) programme aims to ensure that vaccines are shared fairly among all nations.

Covax is aiming to deliver about two billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines globally by the end of the year.

Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Wednesday, February 24

52,791 cases (up 217) 37,264 in Lincolnshire (up 157)

7,946 in North Lincolnshire (up 22)

7,581 in North East Lincolnshire (up 38) 2,057 deaths (up four) 1,511 from Lincolnshire (up three)

299 from North Lincolnshire (up one)

247 from North East Lincolnshire (no change) of which 1,209 hospital deaths (up two) 750 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (up one)

41 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)

1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)

417 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (up one)

4,144,577 UK cases, 121,747 deaths