Coronavirus: Boston care home outbreaks behind spike

Boston currently has one of the highest Covid infection rates in England

A recent spike in the number of Covid-19 cases in a Lincolnshire town is due to a small number of isolated outbreaks, health bosses have said.

Boston, which has a population of about 70,000, recorded 529 cases per 100,000 people in the week 23-29 November - one of the highest in England.

But the county's director of public health Prof Derek Ward said about 100 cases came from just two care homes.

He said he expected infection rates to start to fall over the next few days.

Prof Ward said Lincolnshire as a whole had seen cases fall to 230 per 100,000 population after a peak in the middle of November.

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However, he added that over the past week, Boston had seen "particularly high rates".

He said: "We've had two big care home outbreaks with 40-50 people in each case affected - both residents and staff. And we've had a school outbreak.

"When you add those figures together, you are talking about more than 100 people in a very short period who have tested positive, and that in a population of 70,000 people.

"That's why Boston's rates shot up."

In the week to 28 November, Boston also had the highest number of coronavirus cases among the over-60s.

Prof Ward said Lincolnshire being in tier one - medium alert - before the most recent England-wide lockdown had also contributed to the figures due to the restrictions not being effective in preventing onward transmission.

"What we saw as we went into lockdown was that build-up coming to fruition - leading to a peak in cases in the middle of November," he said.