Coronavirus cases in Borders pass 500 mark after rise of 35 over last week

That’s 10 fewer than was reported over the previous week but enough to take the total for the region past the 500 mark.

Five new cases were announced today, September 30, taking the cumulative total for the region since the virus, also known as Covid-19, arrived here in March to 514, up from 479 last Thursday, September 24.

That’s an increase of 142 over the last month from 372 on Tuesday, September 1.

The running total of cases here stood at 350 from August 13 to August 21, but that latter date marked the end of a nine-day run without any further diagnoses of Covid-19, and rises of up to 14 have been reported daily since then except on Tuesday last week, September 22.

The tally of 24 new cases confirmed here last week – up from 473 on Monday, September 21, to 497 on Sunday, september 27, with 17 following since – was less than half the 50 reported the week before, up from 415 on Monday, September 14, to 465 on Sunday, September 20.

The virus hasn’t added to the death toll it’s claimed here over the last week.

According to figures issued by the National Records of Scotland today, the number of fatalities linked to the disease in the region remains at 75, as of Sunday, for the second week running after going up by one on Sunday, September 13, and having previously remained static at 74 since Sunday, July 12.

Those fatalities, taking into account all deaths linked to coronavirus, not just among those previously tested and found to be infected, are among 4,257 nationwide measured by those criteria.

Nationwide, 29,244 people have tested positive for the disease, up 640 overnight.

It’s now just short of seven months since Scotland’s first official diagnosis of the disease was announced on Sunday, March 1, after spreading across the world from China, with the first two cases here following on Wednesday, March 11.

Giving her daily update on the outbreak in Edinburgh today, Scottish Government first minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “None of us should be visiting each other’s homes at the moment, and that applies in every part of Scotland – except, of course, for very specific purposes such as childcare or to look after a vulnerable person.

“This is the key sacrifice we are, all of us, being asked to make right now because it is the most effective way of reducing transmission of Covid from one household to another.

“Keeping to these rules is never easy. It is not easy for any of us, I really do understand that, but sticking with them helps all of us to do our bit to stop this virus spreading.

“From the numbers I have reported today, and from the picture we are seeing across the UK, it should be obvious to all of us the importance of stopping this virus spreading because we know that when it spreads, it does real damage to too many people.”