Area in top five worst performing areas for Covid infections, say latest figures

BOTH North and North East Lincolnshire are among the top five worst areas for increasing coronavirus infections according to the latest NHS data.

While the UK picture overall is of levelling figures and a dropping R number, this region seems to be left behind as the weekly rolling infection rates have jumped sharply.

According to NHS statistics that have tracked infections over the seven day period between 3 March and 9 March, North East Lincolnshire currently has a rolling infection rate of 133.5 cases per 100,000 people.

That is a sharp climb on the last reported figure of 110 cases per 100,000 and is also a 31 per cent increase of the previous seven day period after months of relative stability. This increase is the third worst in England.

In North Lincolnshire the seven day rolling infection rate is now 112 cases per 100,000 people which is a rise of 21 per cent on the previous weekly period and has moved the region sharply into worrying territory after the last reported figure of 80 cases per 100,000.

This increase is the fifth worst in England behind The Isle of Wight, Kingston Upon Hull, North East Lincolnshire and Blackburn. In terms of new reported coronavirus infections there were 47 overnight in North East Lincolnshire bringing the total for the region to 8022 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. In North Lincolnshire there were 39 new cases of the virus and the region has now reported 8351 cases overall.

Both areas have seen a rise in cases both daily and week-onweek with 51 cases reported in total this time last week compared to this week’s total of 86. In neighbouring East Lindsey which includes Tetney and Louth, the infection rate currently stands at 68 cases per 100,000 people according the latest government figures and the area has experienced 6041 cases of the virus in total.

There has been another tragic loss to the virus in the region’s hospitals which occurred on Wednesday 10 March this year.

The latest death means the hospitals in the North Lincolnshire and Goole Hospital Trust have now recorded 434 deaths reported with a positive test for coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic. The latest figures given by the trust show that there are currently 52 patients being treated in the region’s hospitals with the virus, 20 are at Diana Princess of Wales in Grimsby and 32 at Scunthorpe General. Of these, three are in intensive care units – one at Grimsby and two at Scunthorpe, the number of people in hospital with the virus is roughly stable with 50 reported this time last week.