Rutland has started 2021 by recording 14 cases of Covid-19 yesterday.

This compares with 429 cases recorded in Lincolnshire, which included 92 in neighbouring South Kesteven.

Rutland now has a 7-day infection rate of 182.8 cases per 100,000, based on the 73 cases recorded in the week to Friday.

This was a slight decrease on the 187.8 cases per 100,000 recorded on New Year's Eve- fewer than one-in-500 of the population.

This compares with an England average 7-day rate of 426.5 cases per 100,000. Lincolnshire has a 7-day rate of 256.7 and Leicestershire 243.1 cases per 100,000.

Since the start of the pandemic, Rutland has recorded 731 cases of Covid-19. This is equivalent to 1830.8 cases per 100,000, which means fewer than one-in-50 of the population has been infected with it, according to the government's own figures.

The number of deaths in Rutland yesterday remained at 26- which is equivalent to around one in 1500 of the county's population dying with Covid-19 since the pandemic started.

South Kesteven, which along with the rest of Lincolnshire was raised from Tier 3 to Tier 4, recorded 473 cases over the past week. The district, which includes Stamford, now has a weekly rate of 332,1 cases per 100,000- a sharp rise compared with the 247.9 on Christmas Day and the 205 cases per 100,000 on December 18.

Rutland MP Alicia Kearns said on Wednesday, when Rutland was raised from Tier 2 to Tier 3, England's smallest county has seen a similar increase. Leicestershire, which was moved into Tier 4, has also seen an increase in numbers.

The MP said: "In Rutland our cases have risen to: 182.8 / 100,000

In Melton our cases have risen to: 226.5 / 100,000

In Harborough our cases have risen to: 226 / 100,000

"Last week the update I received from our local NHS had our rates at:

In Rutland our cases were: 105.2 / 100,000

In Melton our cases were: 183.6 / 100,000

In Harborough our cases were: 194 / 100,000

South Kesteven's number of deaths in the district on Friday increased 3 to 126, less than one per 1000 of the district's population since the pandemic started.

Some 14 deaths were registered in Lincolnshire, and one in North Lincolnshire. These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.

On Friday, national cases increased by 53,285 to 2,542,065, while deaths rose by 613 to 74,125.