Lincolnshire coronavirus: A year in numbers

With nearly 40,000 people having tested positive in Lincolnshire up to March 21 and nearly 1,400 subsequent deaths — a mortality rate of 3.5% —  life is not expected to return to normal until July at the earliest.

However, there is hope on the horizon as more than half the population have now received their first doses of vaccine, a combined total of more than 461,237 jabs across all three regions as of Thursday, March 18.

Below are some of the key moments of the last year in numbers.

Although there had been the odd story about a new virus sweeping the world from the start of the year, COVID-19 was not officially confirmed in our area until March 3, 2020 when two cases were reported in Lincolnshire, in the districts of South Holland and South Kesteven.

It wasn’t long, however, until the two remaining upper tier authorities confirmed the virus’ presence in their populations, with North Lincolnshire reporting their first case on March 6 and North East Lincolnshire on March 18.

There have been two official “waves” of the virus. As much as we thought the first wave was big, the second wave was even bigger, mostly down to more testing.

However, there were other factors blamed for the numbers as well, including factory outbreaks, major protests, kids returning to school, people tired of lockdown ignoring rules and festive relaxations.

Since then, as of March 21, Lincolnshire had 39,645 cases in total, and there have been 1,586 deaths.

At the height of the first wave, Lincolnshire saw 76 cases on one day in May. However, the county suffered far worse in the second wave, seeing more than 516 cases confirmed at its height on December 29.

In comparison, North and North East Lincolnshire have seen far lower numbers, with the former reaching 24 cases on April 26 and 139 on November 9, while the latter recorded 10 on April 3 and 261 at its second peak on November 2.

While cases were spread fairly equally across the county, South Kesteven has seen the most with 7,125, while the lowest is West Lindsey District Council with 4,486.

However, East Lindsey saw nearly a quarter of the deaths in the county, with 382 residents passing away after catching the virus. This can be mostly tied to the ageing population, with older people more vulnerable to some of the worst symptoms of the virus.

The government’s heatmap for the county, which breaks down cases by age, backs this up, with those aged over 80 having higher infection rates throughout both waves of the pandemic so far. However, those aged 15-64 also suffered during the second bout.

So far in Lincolnshire there have been 39,645 cumulative cases of coronavirus while, sadly, 1,586 people have died after contracting the illness. The north of the Greater Lincolnshire region has seen 8,688 cases and 300 deaths in North Lincolnshire and 8,260 cases and 266 deaths in North East Lincolnshire.

In the past four months, however, the focus has switched slightly, with the first person in Lincolnshire to receive a vaccine on December 8 being 84-year-old Janet Judson. Janet followed in the footsteps of 90-year-old Margaret Keenan in being one of the first nationally to receive her first dose.

Shortly after on December 15, Harry and Mary Williams received their first jab for North Lincolnshire, while on December 16, the first person in North East Lincolnshire was given theirs.

By January 11, 145,076 people in the UK had received their first dose of the vaccine, and by March 21 that figure had risen to 27,630,970 – with 2,228,772 having had their first dose.

The latest reports for Lincolnshire, released on March 18, showed that 321,832 people had received their vaccine – more than 52% of the eligible population – while in North Lincolnshire the figure was 74,514 and in North East Lincolnshire it was 64,891.

With the government’s roadmap now on its way, schools have returned and people can leave their home for recreation and outdoor exercise.

By March 29, it is hoped further lockdown relaxations can take place including outdoor gatherings of six, outdoor sports facilities reopening and the end of the “stay at home” rule.

As we enter our second year of coronavirus, numbers will play a key part in ensuring we stay on the right path. Otherwise, we may face another year indoors.

Key figures at a glance:

Lincolnshire

Total as of March 21: 39,645 cases, 1,586 deaths

First cases confirmed: March 3 (two cases)

Height of the first wave cases: 76 cases on May 7 (7-day rate 46.4)

Height of the second wave cases: 516 cases on Dec 29 (7-day rate 315.9)

First death confirmed: March 23 (one death)

Height of first wave deaths: 13 on April 10 (7-day rate 7.1)

Height of second wave deaths: 23 on December 12 (7-day rate 15.7)

North Lincolnshire

Total as of March 21: 8,688 cases, 300 deaths

First cases confirmed: March 6 (one case)

Height of the first wave cases: 24 cases on April 26 (17.9)

Height of the second wave cases: 139 on November 9 (107.1)

First death confirmed: March 28 (one death)

Height of first wave deaths: 7 on April 22 (3.3)

Height of second wave deaths: 8 on November 28 (3.7)

North East Lincolnshire

Total as of March 21: 8,260 cases, 266 deaths

First cases confirmed: March 18 (one case)

Height of the first wave cases: 10 cases on April 3 (4.1)

Height of the second wave cases: 261 on November 2 (147.7)

First death confirmed: March 25 (one deaths)

Height of first wave deaths: Three deaths on both April 9 (0.7) and 20 (0.9)

Height of second wave deaths: Seven deaths on both November 21 (3.9) and December 4 (3.1)

East Lindsey

Total as of March 21: 6,180 cases, 382 deaths

First cases confirmed: March 11 (one case)

Height of the first wave cases: Nine cases on April 1 (4.1), April 12 (5) and April 26 (4.9)

Height of the second wave cases: 173 cases on November 16 (100.7)

First death confirmed: March 27 (two cases)

Height of first wave deaths: Three on April 10 (1.1), April 11 (1.1) and April 15 (0.7)

Height of second wave deaths: 10 on December 1 (6)

Boston

Total as of March 21: 4,686 cases, 175 deaths

First cases confirmed: March 10 (one case)

Height of the first wave cases: 13 cases on April 10 (7.7), April 29 (7.4), May 5 (7.1), May 20 (7.6) and May 21 (7.7)

Height of the second wave cases: 93 on November 24 (52.1)

First death confirmed: March 26 (two deaths)

Height of first wave deaths: Two on March 26, April 1 (0.6), April 5 (0.7), April 13 (0.7), April 17 (0.7), April 23 (0.4) and May 12 (0.4)

Height of second wave deaths: Six on December 2 (3.1)

South Holland

Total as of March 21: 4,990 cases, 183 deaths

First cases confirmed: March 3 (one case)

Height of the first wave cases: 51 on May 7 (22.9)

Height of the second wave cases: 66 on January 12 (44)

First death confirmed: March 23 (one death)

Height of first wave deaths: Two on April 2 (0.7), April 8 (0.7), April 10 (1), April 14 (0.7), April 20 (0.4), May 6 (0.9), May 11 (0.7), May 12 (0.9), May 21 (1) and May 23 (0.9)

Height of second wave deaths: Four on November 20 (1.1), January 14 (1.4), January 16 (1.7), and January 22 (1.7)

South Kesteven

Total as of March 21: 7,125 cases, 264 deaths

First cases confirmed: March 3 (one case)

Height of the first wave cases: 16 cases on May 23 (6.7)

Height of the second wave cases: 120 cases on December 29 (84.3) and December 30 (90.6)

First death confirmed: March 27 (one death)

Height of first wave deaths: Four on April 19 (1.4)

Height of second wave deaths: Seven on January 21 (3.4)

North Kesteven

Total as of March 21: 5,403 cases, 218 deaths

First cases confirmed: March 9 (one case)

Height of the first wave cases: 10 cases on May 12 (3.9)

Height of the second wave cases: 101 on December 29 (50.3)

First death confirmed: March 30 (one death)

Height of first wave deaths: Five on April 10 (2)

Height of second wave deaths: Six on January 19 (2.3)

Lincoln

Total as of March 21: 6,775 cases, 190 deaths

First cases confirmed: March 17 (one case)

Height of the first wave cases: Nine cases on May 15 (3.7)

Height of the second wave cases: 154 on December 7 (68.1)

First death confirmed: March 25 (one death)

Height of first wave deaths: Three on April 20 (0.6) and April 29 (1.3)

Height of second wave deaths: Five on December 18 (2.3), December 27 (2.3) and January 25 (1.1)

West Lindsey

Total as of March 21: 4,486 cases, 174 deaths

First cases confirmed: March 12 (one case)

Height of the first wave cases: Nine cases on April 29 (3.4)

Height of the second wave cases: 78 cases on December 11 (45.4)

First death confirmed: April 3 (one death)

Height of first wave deaths: Two on April 9 (0.4) and April 26 (0.6)

Height of second wave deaths: Four on October 27 (1.1), November 26 (1.4), December 14 (2.3), December 17 (2.4), December 21 (2), January 15 (2.1), January 17 (2.7), and January 20 (2.4)