Covid cases fall in North East Lincolnshire

The number of people testing positive for coronavirus is at last starting to fall, but North East Lincolnshire is still facing increased deaths and hospitalisations.

The borough has the fifth highest case rate in the country.

Three Covid-related deaths have been reported this week – one each from Friday, Monday and Tuesday.

34 patients were being treated in the hospital as of Wednesday morning, the highest number since the first week of March, with two of the people requiring intensive care.

805 new cases were found in the week leading up to July 19, North East Lincolnshire Council’s epidemiology report states, a drop from 960 the previous week.

However, the number of over 60s testing positive has surged from 52 to 255 over the last three weeks.

There has also been an increase amongst over 80s, which is due to transmission in care homes.

There have been nine new cases in residents over the last two weeks across four care homes.

Two of the homes are considered to have outbreaks.

The council says that most of the recent outbreaks have occurred in hospitality venues, but factories are now increasingly being affected. More than 50 cases have been linked to one.

North East Lincolnshire remains the area with the highest case rate in the Yorkshire and Humber.

Nationally it is only behind Redcar and Cleveland, Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees and Hartlepool.

Sidney Sussex ward has seen the most cases in the last few weeks (July 12 to 26) with 264, followed by South 241.

Waltham has fared much better with just 74 and the Wolds ward was the next lowest at 93.

81.7 per cent of all over 18s have now received the first dose of the vaccine and 66.4 per cent have received the second dose, along with more than 90 per cent of care home residents and staff.