County on downward trend, despite Boston infection spike

Boston currently has the highest infection rate in the county with 191 per 100,000 people as of Thursday evening — above the England average of 137.8 and ranked 56th nationally.

As of February 16, Boston has carried out nearly 5,000 rapid COVID tests with 129 positive results in their district.

Professor Derek Ward, Director of Public Health for Lincolnshire County Council, reiterated that people should be looking at a seven-day rolling average of infection rates for increased accuracy and, therefore, Boston wasn’t a particular current concern.

He said: “We’ve got to keep an eye on the general direction […] if you look on a daily level, you’re always going to be seeing the numbers bounce around” and “if you don’t spread them out over a reasonable amount of time.”

In Lincolnshire, as of February 18, there have been around 17,700 lateral flow tests in total, and more than 250 positives — a positivity rate of 1.5%.

Professor Ward added: “We are on a downward trend, but I think overall as a county, our key messages that the infection does seem to be in our working age adults.

“So, messages that I keep giving are to stay at home. If you can do your job from home, then please do so.

“If you do have to go into work, then please make sure you follow all the COVID-secure guidelines and hands, face, space, because it is our working age population that are the people who are catching COVID.”

This week saw four members of staff working at the rapid coronavirus test centre off Monks Road in Lincoln testing positive for COVID-19.

Professor Ward said there have been no further outbreaks in test centres across the county as far as he is aware.

In other news, Lincolnshire’s vaccination programme has moved to cohorts five and six, following the “successful competition of vaccinations for people aged 70 and over (the first four cohorts)”.

Cohorts five include all those 65 years of age and over and cohort six contains all individuals aged 16 to 64 with underlying health conditions, which put them at higher risk of serious disease and mortality. More information can be found here.