The 7-day infection rate in Rutland appears to have peaked, following last week's outbreak at Stocken Prison.

Official government figures yesterday show the county reporting six cases, putting it on 1368 since the start of the pandemic. This amounts to about one case per 30 residents.

Some 194 cases have now been reported in the past week, compared to 207 in the week to Wednesday, and 80 in the week to last Thursday.

This gives a 7-day rate of 485.9 cases per 100,000, meaning about one-in-200 Rutlanders will have picked up the virus over the past week.

On Wednesday, the 7-day rate was 518.4, among the worst in the country.

Rutland's record contrasts with virtually everywhere else in the UK, which is reporting a sharp decrease in new case numbers.

England's 7-day rate yesterday was 194.6 cases per 100,000, which compares with 260.6 last Thursday, and 373.3 the Thursday before.

The number of deaths recorded in Rutland yesterday increased two to 50, to about one per 800 residents since the pandemic started.

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In nearby Greater Lincolnshire , some 65 new coronavirus cases were recorded on Thursday and 13 COVID-related deaths.

The government's COVID-19 dashboard recorded 115 new cases in Lincolnshire, and 25 each in North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire.

Among the districts, South Kesteven, recorded 21 cases, compared with 24 on Wednesday, 15 on Tuesday and 33 on Monday. This puts the district on 6,399 in total, equivalent to just over one-in-25 people in the district succumbing to the virus at some stage.

The 7-day rate has decreased from 240.1 cases per 100,000 on Friday to 201.5 cases per 100,000- a drop of about a fifth. The number of cases over the past week has fallen from 376 last week to 287 yesterday.

However, South Kesteven recorded three deaths today, after three yesterday and six on Tuesday, putting the total on 228 fatalities since the start of the pandemic.

Altogether, about one-in-600 residents in the district have died after testing positive with the virus.

On Thursday, 11 deaths were registered in Lincolnshire, one in North Lincolnshire and one in North East Lincolnshire. These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.

On Thursday, national cases increased by 13,494 to 3,998,655, deaths rose by 678 to 114,851 while COVID first jab numbers hit 13,509,108.

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Thousands of NHS patients across the country that are suffering from COVID-19 will now have access to new life-saving treatment.

The government has announced the rollout of an anti-inflammatory drug called tocilizumab, which is used for treating rheumatoid arthritis.

Health secretary Matt Hancock has said it is still "too early" to know whether summer holidays can go ahead.

He added there was still "a lot of uncertainty" but ministers were doing everything possible.

Mr Hancock also outlined plans for NHS reform which will see health and care services can work more closely together.

The proposals will follow the NHS long-term plan and Mr Hancock told MPs the pandemic had made them more urgent.

However, opponents have questioned the timing of the move.