South Kesteven's 7-day infection rate has increased again, only to the levels of last weekend.

Today, the district recorded 89 cases gives the district a 7-day case rate of 221.3 cases per 100,000- which is down a third on two weeks ago.

The 89 cases, compares with 71 positive tests yesterday, 78 on Tuesday, 40 last Thursday and 57 the Thursday before.

The current weekly infection rate of 221.3 cases per 100,000 of population compares with 206 yesterday, 194.8 on Tuesday, 231.8 last Thursday and 332.3 two weeks ago.

With its fluctuations, South Kesteven now has a lower 7-day infection rate than Lincolnshire's 270.4 and lower than England's 264.8, both of which have been far more consistent than the district.

Overall, since the pandemic started, South Kesteven has recorded 12,797 positive tests - about one case for each 11 residents. Again, this is better than the England average, which is about one case for every 9 people.

The figures come amid much testing, currently running around 900,000 million a day or 6.8 million over a week nationally.

The government's UK Covid-19 tracker also recorded no deaths today.

However, there was one on Monday- the sixth recorded in South Kesteven during September.

The latest death follows one last Wednesday, one last Monday, and three others earlier in the month.

The six September fatalities compare with ten in August.

Prior to the August and September deaths, South Kesteven reported such fatalities on May 5 and March 25, making it 16 Covid related deaths in over 5 months.

It means since the pandemic started, official government figures record 286 fatalities in South Kesteven within 28 days of a positive test for Covid-19.

The total amounts to 199.7 deaths per 100,000, which is equivalent to one fatality for just over 500 residents.

The England average is one death for just under 500 residents.

Nationally, 36,710 people tested positive today, giving a total of 231,241 over the past week, an increase of 19,938 (9.4%) over the week before.

The number of deaths increased by 182 across the UK today, giving a total of 998 over the week, an increase of 34 (3.5%) over the week before.

Patients admitted on September 19, the latest date available was 714, or 5885 over the week, a drop of 1080 or 15.5 per cent over the week before.

There were 969,173 people tested yesterday, giving 6,673,864 over the past week, a drop of 469,897 (-6.6%) over the week before.

In county and national news, vaccine bosses said COVID-19 will be similar to the common cold by next Spring, as booster jabs are launched across Lincolnshire — but daily numbers on Thursday are the highest since last November.

Government figures showed 493 new cases in Lincolnshire, 73 in North East Lincolnshire and 181 in North Lincolnshire. The 747 case total is the highest since November 12, when 873 cases were confirmed.

Six further deaths of Lincolnshire residents were also confirmed in the government figures.

NHS data showed six deaths in Greater Lincolnshire's hospitals on Thursday with five at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust and one at Northern Lincolnshire And Goole NHS Trust.

Locally, the first booster jabs were given out in Grantham on Wednesday, while further doses will launch from the PRSA in Boston and Lincolnshire Showground on Friday.

Nationally, the designer of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has told a Royal Society of Medicine webinar that that COVID-19 will become less virulent over time and there was "no reason" to think it would become more.

"We normally see that viruses become less virulent as they circulate more easily and there is no reason to think we will have a more virulent version of Sars-CoV-2," said Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert.

"We tend to see slow genetic drift of the virus and there will be gradual immunity developing in the population as there is to all the other seasonal coronaviruses."

She was backed by Professor Sir John Bell, regius professor of medicine at Oxford University, who said: "If you look at the trajectory we're on, we're a lot better off than we were six months ago."

"The pressure on the NHS is largely abated. If you look at the deaths from COVID, they tend to be very elderly people, and it's not entirely clear it was COVID that caused all those deaths," he told Times Radio.

"So I think we're over the worst of it now and I think what will happen is, there will be quite a lot of background exposure to Delta."

Elsewhere, the Moderna boss Stéphane Bancel told a Swiss newspaper that there was enough production of vaccines and booster shots to ensure the pandemic will be over in a year.

Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Thursday, September 23

17,551 in North Lincolnshire (up 181)

316 from North Lincolnshire (no change)

44 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)

498 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (up one)