Rutland has again recorded no deaths and just one case today.

It means the county has recorded just two cases over three days and 9 recorded over the week is the lowest over seven days for many months.

The figures also mean the county has also gone more than three weeks without a death, a milestone which was reached on Wednesday.

Altogether, Rutland has seen 1645 cases since the start of the pandemic. This is equivalent to about one case for every 25 residents.

The number of cases recorded over the past 7 days fell from 10 to 9 since yesterday, its lowest in months. The week to last Friday saw 17 cases.

The 7-day infection rate is now 22.5 cases per 100,000, which is lower than the England average of 28.4 cases per 100,000.

The numbers of deaths of people dying within 28 days of testing positive with the virus again remained at 61, which is equivalent to about one for every 700 residents. This compares to an England average of about one-in-500.

Meanwhile, in Lincolnshire, eight Covid-19 cases were recorded in South Kesteven today and again no deaths.

The number compares with 8 on Thursday but there has been a small increase in the 7-day infection rate.

In the week to today, South Kesteven has recorded 67 cases, compared with 65 in the week to yesterday and 83 in the week to last Friday.

This gives a 7-day rate of 47, which is well above the England average of 28.4.

In total, 7481 cases have been recorded in South Kesteven since the start of the pandemic. This is about one-in-20 of the population.

No deaths were recorded today, but on Tuesday the district record its first Covid-linked fatality in more than 3 weeks.

The total of 266 since the start of the pandemic means that around one-in-600 South Kesteven residents will have died withing 28 days of a positive test for the virus.

Overall, there have been 285 coronavirus cases in Greater Lincolnshire and eight COVID-related deaths so far this week – a 7% drop in cases and one less death from the previous week.

The government's COVID-19 dashboard on Friday recorded 32 new cases in Lincolnshire, eight in North Lincolnshire and three in North East Lincolnshire.

On April 16, three deaths were registered in Lincolnshire and none in Northern 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 2,596 to 4,383,732, while deaths rose by 34 to 127,225.

England's R number has dropped slightly to between 0.7 and 1 according to the latest data this week. This means for every 10 people infected with COVID-19, they will pass it on to between seven and 10 others.

The new Indian variant of the COVID virus that's been detected in the UK has all the hallmarks of a very dangerous virus.

It has two new significant mutations in the spike protein that help it infect cells and evade the immune system.

People are "likely" to need a third dose of the coronavirus vaccine within 12 months of getting the first two, Pfizer's chief executive has said.

Dr Albert Bourla said a booster jab could be necessary "somewhere between six and 12 months" after the second one – and every year thereafter.