Five more cases of coronavirus confirmed in Borders, taking total to 220, as UK-wide death toll nears 13,000

That increase was revealed in a daily update issued by the Scottish Government today, April 16, also reporting a further 80 deaths nationwide attributable to the disease.

There has been no increase in the death toll claimed here by Covid-19, as the disease is also known, however, for the third day running and it remains at 26.

The first five fatalities in the Borders attributable to the virus were announced on Monday, March 30, and that figure rose to seven the day after, eight the next day, 11 a week ago last Thursday, 14 a week ago on Friday, 16 last Sunday, 17 on Monday, 19 on Tuesday, 20 on Friday, 22 on Saturday, 23 on Sunday and 26 on Monday.

They’re among a death toll of 779 nationwide, up 80 from 699 yesterday, and 12,868 across the UK, up 761 on the day before.

Altogether, 7,102 cases of the illness have been confirmed nationwide, up 354 from 6,748 yesterday.

Across the UK, 98,476 people, including British prime minister Boris Johnson, have tested positive for the illness, up 4,605 on the day before.

Some 35,392 tests for coronavirus have been carried out in Scotland so far, with 28,290 returning negative results.

It’s over a month now since the first two cases of the illness were confirmed in the Borders on Wednesday, March 11, and a month and a half since Scotland’s first case, in Tayside, was announced on Sunday, March 1, after spreading across the world from Wuhan in China.

That figure went up to three on Friday, March 13; five on Saturday, March 14; seven on Sunday, March 15; eight the following Thursday, March 19; nine on Friday, March 20; 10 on Saturday, March 21; 11 on Sunday, March 22; 12 on Monday, March 23; 15 on Wednesday, March 25; 23 on Thursday, March 26; 28 on Friday, March 27; 35 on Saturday, March 28; 50 on Sunday, March 29; 63 on Monday, March 30; 77 on Tuesday, March 31; 87 on Wednesday, April 1; 93 on Thursday, April 2; 100 on Friday, April 3; 110 on Saturday, April 4; 130 on Sunday, April 5; 139 last Monday, April 6; 149 last Tuesday; 160 on Wednesday; 167 on Thursday; 177 on Friday; 189 on Saturday; 199 on Sunday; 204 on Monday; 208 on Tuesday; 215 yesterday; and 220 today.

The number of cases of Covid-19 in the Borders is higher than in one of its neighbouring health board areas, Dumfries and Galloway’s total being 207, but is still well below the two others, Lanarkshire and Lothian being up to 911 and 1,107 respectively.

Altogether, 196 Scots, six of them in the Borders, are in intensive care receiving treatment for coronavirus, as of last night, with 191 having tested positive and the others awaiting results.

The lockdown measures in force since Monday, March 23, are proving effective in slowing the spread of coronavirus and should continue into May, according to Scotland’s first minster, Nicola Sturgeon.

Speaking at a remote version of her weekly first minister’s questions session today, held hours ahead of a similar meeting with UK Government officials, she said: “We do firmly believe that the lockdown is having a positive effect.

“For example, while we still see fluctuations, we are not seeing at this stage significant or sustained increases in the number of people in hospital or in intensive care with the virus.

“However, we know these lockdown measures need time to work, so we must continue to exercise caution in our predictions.

“We are by no means through this yet.

“My clear advice is that we must continue the lockdown measures for at least another three weeks.

“While we are increasingly confident that these measures are working, we are not yet confident enough that the virus has been suppressed sufficiently to lift any of these measures because the risk of doing that would be a resurgence that would be extremely damaging.”

Replying to a question from Scottish Green Party co-leader Alison Johnstone, Ms Sturgeon said the first steps towards coming up with an exit strategy would be revealed next week.

“People do want to know what the thinking is for beyond that period,” she explained.

“I think sharing the thought processes and the factors we’re taking into account and the framework for making these decisions is important.

“I hope, over the course of next week, to not announce all of these decisions, because we won’t be able to do that, but to set out a framework of decision-making.”