South Kesteven recorded 46 cases today, slightly down on yesterday, suggesting the figures may soon start heading back again soon.

Either way, the district has now gone more than 11 weeks without recording a Covid-related fatality.

Today's 46 positive tests add to the 49 recorded yesterday, further increasing the 7-day case rate from 331.4 cases per 100,000 yesterday to 342.6 today, making it the highest in months.

Last Thursday, it stood at 201.5 and 113.7 cases per 100,000 the Thursday before.

However, despite the sharp increases, it remains well below the England average of 529.1 cases per 100,000, which stood at 350.3 last Thursday and 263.9 the Thursday before that.

Last Thursday, South Kesteven recorded 61 cases and 33 the Thursday before.

The figures come amid much testing, exceeding a million people yesterday and nearly 7 million in the past week.

Overall, there have been 8937 cases in South Kesteven since the start of the pandemic- equivalent to about one for about 16 residents in the district.

Nationally, 84 deaths were recorded today, but South Kesteven hasn't recorded such a death since 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 overall total remains at 270, about one for each 600 of the population, compared to the England average of one-in-500.

Meanwhile, Lincolnshire passed the 50,000 COVID cases mark on Thursday as 306 new cases were confirmed in the county – 576 in the Greater Lincolnshire region overall.

The government's COVID-19 dashboard on Thursday reported 306 new cases in Lincolnshire, 171 in North East Lincolnshire and 99 in North Lincolnshire. The number is 19.2% down on last Thursday's 713 cases.

NHS England reported no new deaths of COVID-positive hospital patients across the Greater Lincolnshire region. Government figures also reported no further deaths.

Nationally, cases increased by 39,906 to 5,602,321, while deaths rose by 84 to 128,980.

Locally, more than 1,000,000 vaccine doses have been given out in Lincolnshire, according to the latest government figures.Vaccine figures released by the government on Thursday showed the county had now given out 1,006,160 cumulative doses, up 13,771 on the previous week's 992,389 total. The increase is 435 doses more than the previous week.

Karl McCartney, MP for Lincoln, has said that he thinks the NHS COVID-19 app's "days are numbered", and admitted he has never even downloaded the app before.

Mr McCartney made the claim during an interview with BBC Radio Lincolnshire on Thursday morning, as the 'pingdemic' from the NHS COVID-19 app continues to divide opinion.

More than 600,000 people were sent self-isolation alerts in England and Wales between July 8 and 15, a 17% rise from the previous week.

The number of young people being referred for specialist help with eating disorders has risen by more than 50% in the past two years, with a further sharp increase expected post-COVID.

A report before Lincolnshire County Council's health scrutiny committee on Wednesday showed an overall 51% increase in referrals to the Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) since 2018/19, with a 39% rise in the past year alone.

However, mental health bosses in the county say a new intensive home treatment team, set up following the closure of Lincoln's Ash Villa in 2020, is making significant improvements to children's wellbeing.

Nationally, vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi defended the number of people being pinged by the NHS COVID app.

He said self-isolation was the second most important tool for combatting COVID after vaccines.

He also told MPs that vaccines had stopped 52,600 people being hospitalised in England.

However, he said people should still be cautious due to the daily average number of cases being around 41,000 and 34% of people aged 18-29 nationally had not been vaccinated.

He reassured people that waiting until September before requiring an NHS Covid Pass for access to nightclubs and other crowded venues was the right thing to do to give businesses and young people time to prepare.

Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Thursday, July 22

11,839 in North Lincolnshire (up 99)

303 from North Lincolnshire (no change)

43 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)

457 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (no change)

5,602,321 UK cases, 128,980 deaths