Rutland has recorded just 9 cases of Covid-19 today, helping the 7-day infection rate drop back to what it was last week.

Today's 9 positive tests follows 22 yesterday, 13 on Monday, 13 last Wednesday and 15 the Wednesday before.

This gives the district a 7-day infection rate of 350 cases per 100,000 of population, down from 365.6 yesterday, and 392.8 on Sunday- the highest since late July. Last Wednesday, it was 338.5 and 311.3 two weeks ago.

The county now has recorded 3026 having tested positive with the virus since the pandemic started- about one-in-14 of its population- better than England's one-in-9 of the population.

Rutland has now exceeded seven weeks without a Covid-related fatality.

Public Health England figures say the last such death was on the weekend of July 25.

Since the pandemic started, 66 county residents have died within 28 days of testing positive. This is about one for every 600 residents, which compares with the national average of one-in-500 residents.

Prior to the county's latest fatality, the last recorded such death in England's smallest county was on Wednesday April 28. Before that it was Thursday March 25.

Meanwhile, in Lincolnshire, South Kesteven has recorded a fresh fatality today- the fifth of the month.

However, the 7-day case rate has dropped almost a third over the past week.

Today's death follows one on Monday, one last Thursday, one last Tuesday and one the weekend before.

The five September fatalities compare with ten in August.

Today, South Kesteven recorded 54 positive tests compared with 44 yesterday, 38 on Monday, 48 last Wednesday and 73 the Wednesday before that.

The current weekly infection rate of 243 cases per 100,000 people is the lowest since early August.

It compares with 271.6 cases per 100,000 of population yesterday, 295.3 on Monday, 342.8 last Wednesday and 351.2 two weeks ago.

With its fluctuations, South Kesteven now has a lower 7-day infection rate than Lincolnshire's 304.8 and lower than England's 308.3, both of which have been far more consistent than the district ands are also heading back down.

Overall, since the pandemic started, South Kesteven has recorded 12,294 positive tests - about one case for each 12 residents. Again, this is better than the England average, which is about one case for every 9 people.

The figures come amid much testing, currently running around 0,9 million a day or 7.3 million over a week nationally.

Prior to the August and September deaths, South Kesteven reported such fatalities on May 5 and March 25, making it 15 Covid related deaths in over 5 months.

It means since the pandemic started, official government figures record 285 fatalities in South Kesteven within 28 days of a positive test for Covid-19.

The total amounts to 199 deaths per 100,000, which is equivalent to one fatality for just over 500 residents.

The England average is one death for just under 500 residents.

Meanwhile, health bosses in Lincolnshire have confirmed 12 to 15-year-olds across the county will be given the COVID-19 vaccine at school.

It comes after yesterday's announcement by the UK's Chief Medical Officers that healthy children aged 12 to 15 should be offered one dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

A spokesperson for NHS Lincolnshire said: "We continue to prepare for the imminent rollout across Lincolnshire, which will be delivered in schools by our Schools Aged Immunisation Service."

Meanwhile, there have been 547 cases of coronavirus confirmed in Greater Lincolnshire on Wednesday.

Government figures on Wednesday showed 380 new cases in Lincolnshire, 78 in North East Lincolnshire and 89 in North Lincolnshire.

One further death of a Greater Lincolnshire resident was confirmed in the government figures.

Nationally, cases increased by 30,597 to 7,312,683 while deaths rose by 201 to 134,647.

Nationally, further details have been revealed about the government's Plan B this winter – including that NHS pressures would be the main trigger for it.

Under the reserve plan, the government could look to mandate face masks and bring in vaccine passports – though initially they want to focus on encouraging people to get the vaccine and launching booster jabs for the most vulnerable.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid told BBC Breakfast: "We don't want to get to a position ever again where there's unsustainable pressure on the NHS, so it's not able to see people in the usual way when it needs to, particularly emergency patients.

"So in my mind that is the number one issue that we need to always, always keep an eye on."

He said factors would include hospital admission numbers, pressures on A&E and staffing levels.