Another case of coronavirus confirmed in Borders, ending week-long run without any new diagnoses

That diagnosis ends a week-long run with no new cases, the longest to have gone by without any since the first diagnoses here were confirmed on Wednesday, March 11.

It surpasses a five-day run without new reports of coronavirus ended by an increase of one last Tuesday, May 26.

The 326 cases of Covid-19, as the disease is also known, confirmed here are among 15,582 nationwide, up 29 from 15,553 yesterday.

Across the UK, 281,661 people have tested positive for the disease, up 1,805 on the day before.

It’s now over three months since Scotland’s first case, in Tayside, was announced on Sunday, March 1, after spreading across the world from Wuhan in China.

The death toll claimed in the region by coronavirus stands at 38 as of Tuesday, up three on last week.

Figures issued by the National Records of Scotland yesterday, taking into account all fatalities attributed to coronavirus and not just among those previously tested and found to be infected, put the death toll for the region at 62 as of Sunday, however – 27 higher than the Scottish Government figure of 35 at that time.

It’s now over two months since the first five fatalities among Covid-19 patients here were announced on Monday, March 30.

That figure, going by Scottish Government calculations, rose to seven the day after, March 31; eight on Wednesday, April 1; 11 on Thursday, April 2; 14 on Friday, April 3; 16 on Sunday, April 5; 17 on Monday, April 6; 19 on Tuesday, April 7; 20 on Friday, April 10; 22 on Saturday, April 11; 23 on Sunday, April 12; 26 on Monday, April 13; 27 on Thursday, April 23; 28 on Friday, April 24; 29 on Monday, April 27; 30 on Wednesday, April 29; 31 on Thursday, April 30; 32 on Tuesday, May 12; 34 on Tuesday, May 19; 35 on Tuesday, May 26; and 38 on Tuesday this week.

They are among 2,409 coronavirus patients killed by the disease in Scotland so far, up 14 from 2,395 overnight, and 39,904 UK-wide, a rise of 176 on the day before.

Altogether, 16 Scots are in intensive care receiving treatment for coronavirus, along with another seven suspected to be infected but awaiting test results.

Almost 123,000 tests for the illness have been carried out in Scotland so far, with 107,180 coming back negative.

Giving an update in Edinburgh today on the outbreak, first minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “There have been 15,582 positive cases confirmed, an increase of 29 from yesterday.

“A total of 995 patients are in hospital with confirmed or suspected Covid-19. That represents a decrease of 26 from yesterday, including a decrease of nine in the number of confirmed cases.

“We have to be very careful about reading too much into single-day figures, but nevertheless I think it is reasonable to point out that this is the first time since March 30 that the number of patients in hospital has been lower than 1,000, so again that’s a positive indication of the progress that we are making.

“A total of 23 people last night were in intensive care with confirmed or suspected Covid-19. That is a decrease of five since yesterday.

“In the last 24 hours though, 14 deaths have been registered of patients confirmed through a test as having Covid-19. That takes the total number of deaths in Scotland, under that measurement, to 2,409.

“As I always do, I want to stress that these numbers are not just statistics. They are individuals whose loss is being deeply felt by their loved ones, so, once again, I want to send my deepest condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one to this virus.”

Ms Sturgeon also urged Scots to continue to comply with lockdown rules, saying: “We’re now, of course, at the close of the first full week since we moved into phase one of our routemap out of lockdown and eased some of the restrictions.

“So far, the vast majority of people have stuck by the new rules, and I want to take the opportunity again today to thank all of you who have continued to do the right thing.

“However, it’s also clear that, over the past week, not absolutely everyone has done that.

“Basically, if you start to feel that your social life is returning to normal, that’s not a good sign right now.

“That message applies to everyone, but it’s perhaps particularly relevant to young people. I want, today, to make a special plea to all of you, the young people of Scotland.

“Many of you, I know, will be desperate to spend more time with your pals after weeks of being apart.

“You might even think that, as young people, you are less likely to become seriously ill as a result of the virus, but I want to be very clear – you are not immune from this virus. You can get it and it can be very harmful to you.

“Even if you’re not seriously affected yourself, you can still pass it on to other young people. They might then pass it on to others who are at greater risk from Covid-19, such as their parents or grandparents, and that could have really tragic consequences.

“The progress we’ve made against this virus over these past few weeks is real, and I say that every day because I mean it, and it is as a result of all of us, overwhelmingly, sticking to these rules, and that kind of collective effort will continue to be vital as we slow the spread of this virus even further.”