Covid: West Lindsey spike due to care home outbreak

Lincolnshire's director of public health said even with the vaccine, there was no "perfect immunity"

A spike in Covid-19 cases in part of Lincolnshire is down to an outbreak in a care home where residents had been vaccinated, health bosses have said.

Routine testing revealed the outbreak at a home in West Lindsey, which has not been named.

Public health officials found two residents with "very mild illness" plus a "number" of asymptomatic people.

Lincolnshire's director of public health said even with the Covid vaccine there was no "perfect immunity".

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Prof Derek Ward told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "At the moment, we're not seeing any hospitalisation. We're seeing much milder disease even in our over-80 population.

"Fingers crossed, none of them will need NHS treatment or care and they'll clear the virus.

"Obviously, it's one of the risks that the vaccine is very effective, but even when you've got two doses, you're still not talking about perfect immunity.

"So, we will still see those cases as long as they don't end up in hospital," Prof Ward added.

The affected care home had been given "robust infection/prevention control treatments", health bosses said.

In the week up to 20 March, West Lindsey had a rate of 123.3 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people - an increase of 66% on the previous week, which had a rate of 74.2 per 100,000.

After one Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, it is estimated a person will have up to 89% protection, with about 91% after their second dose.

The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine offers approximately 76% immunity for up to 12 weeks, and 82% after the second dose.

However, these figures vary from person to person, depending on age.