By Increase in local Covid-19 cases
Hospitals in Northern Lincolnshire have reported an increase in local cases, as well as the first hospital death since June 28.
This comes as the UK hits its highest daily figure of positive coronavirus cases since May 20.
On Sunday it was announced that 2,988 new cases of coronavirus cases had been identified in the UK, sparking concern over a second wave.
Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, said:
“The rise is predominantly among younger people and it’s important to remember, as we’ve seen in other countries, that younger people can infect their grandparents, and we don’t want to see the spread of this disease because it inevitably (will) then lead to more hospitalisations.”
This comes less than a week after England’s schools began reopening their doors to pupils, with many parents fearing the implications of mixing within such large circles.
School leaders, and both North East Lincolnshire Council and North Lincolnshire Council have issued statements reassuring parents that every effort has been made to ensure a safe return.
Councillor Ian Lindley of North East Lincolnshire Council said:
“It’s vitally important that children and young people don’t miss out on their education.
“We have had a very low number of cases in our area and we have been working with local schools to put measures in place to ensure that classrooms will be safe spaces for children.
“We all care deeply about our children and want them to get the best opportunities in life.
“Worrying for their safety in these uncertain times is nothing to be embarrassed about, but I want to reassure parents that we have done everything we can, working with schools, to ensure they will be safe.
“If parents want that extra level of reassurance and peace of mind, I would encourage them to get in touch with their child’s school to find out what exactly is being done to minimise the risk.”
Official figures, also released on Sunday night, show that three new cases were reported in North East Lincolnshire on Saturday, with an additional five in North Lincolnshire.
Just last week a spokesperson for the North Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust announced that none of its hospitals had any remaining coronavirus patients, but that there were three within the local community.
Now, these new figures have come to light, with the area’s first hospital death since June occurring on Saturday.
It is not known if the patient was being treated at a hospital in Grimsby, Scunthorpe or Goole.
But the area’s infection rate remains low, with North East Lincolnshire continuing to hold the country’s lowest infection rate.
Throughout the pandemic, North East Lincolnshire has seen 243 confirmed cases.
North Lincolnshire has reported 778 cases.
119 deaths within the trust’s hospitals have now been attributed to the pandemic.
