Lincolnshire County Council's covid testing bus visits Stamford

Lincolnshire's covid testing bus has paid a visit to Stamford amid a rise in cases.

The bus, which was launched as a covid testing vehicle in December by the county council, stopped in Stamford town centre yesterday (March 14) to encourage shoppers to take a lateral flow test.

Since the scheme began, 40,000 tests have been handed out across the county.

Derek Ward, director of public health, said: “It was designed to complement the other elements of our community testing programme, providing a quick and easy way for local residents to take a supervised lateral flow test or pick up test kits.

"The bus will continue to visit locations until the end of March, when the community testing programme will wind down, in line with government policy.”

In the district, covid cases have doubled in the past week with the infection rate standing at 667 cases per every 100,000 people, up from 311 last Monday.

The number of people who have tested positive in the past seven days is 1,164.

Nine per cent of people taking in a test have received a positive result, with 13,820 administered.