A "significant outbreak" with over 60 cases and five deaths at a Grantham care home has helped South Kesteven remain Lincolnshire's Covid capital.

The cases occurred at the Red Court care home at St Edmund's Close on Barrowby Gate.

The district remains the hotspot for the county, with it continuing a huge lead above the other districts for its number of cases over the week.

Today, the government's Covid-19 tracker reported 64 cases in the district, giving South Kesteven a total of 4558 cases recorded since the start of the pandemic.

This amounts to about one-in-30 succumbing to the virus.

The weekly rate for South Kesteven is 443.7 cases per 100,000, based on the 632 cases recorded over the past week. This amounts to about one-in-200 picking up the virus over the past week.

The number of deaths in South Kesteven increased one to 136- about one-in-a-thousand of the district population.

Overall, there have been 441 new coronavirus cases and 21 COVID-related deaths in Greater Lincolnshire on Thursday.

The government's COVID-19 dashboard recorded 354 new cases in Lincolnshire, 49 in North East Lincolnshire and 38 in North Lincolnshire.

On Thursday, 13 deaths were registered in Lincolnshire, seven in North Lincolnshire and one in North East Lincolnshire. These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.

NHS England reported nine new local hospital deaths on Thursday, including five at United Lincolnshire Hospital Trust and four at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust (NLAG).

On Thursday, national cases increased by 52,618 to 2,889,419, while deaths rose by 1,162 to 78,508.

The MP for Lincoln Karl McCartney said: "This is not democracy as I know it" after he rebelled against the latest lockdown vote in the House of Commons on Wednesday night, one of only 16 in the country and the only one to vote against in Lincolnshire."

Deepings MP Sir John Hayes voted with the government, but in a speech, contrasted the struggles faced by small businesses coping with lockdown, compared to major and online retailers profiting from it.

Lincolnshire's county and district council leaders have sent a joint letter to Health Secretary Matt Hancock, accusing the government of lacking transparency and covering up vaccination rollout plans.

In national news, the new Oxford vaccine for coronavirus is being distributed to GP services this week, with pharmacies set to be given the green light next week.

Hundreds of six-man teams of medically qualified military personnel are on standby to assist the nationwide vaccine rollout.

The weekly Clap for Carers will be reintroduced this week, but will now be called Clap for Heroes instead – it will be at 8pm on Thursdays from now on.

Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Thursday, January 7

40,590 cases (up 441)

27,725 in Lincolnshire (up 354)

6,350 in North East Lincolnshire (up 49)

1,536 deaths (up 21)

1,079 from Lincolnshire (up 13)

210 from North East Lincolnshire (up one)

of which 910 hospital deaths (up nine)

542 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (up five)

1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)