No rise in coronavirus cases in Borders, leaving total at 327

That standstill statistic comes after a rise of one yesterday, June 10, ended a five-day run without any new cases of the disease being reported.

Those five days without further diagnoses followed another increase of one last Friday, June 5, ending a week-long run with no new cases.

That was the longest to have gone by without any new cases since the first diagnoses here were confirmed three months ago on Wednesday, March 11.

The 327 cases of Covid-19, as the disease is also known, confirmed here are among 15,682 nationwide, up 17 overnight from 15,665.

Across the UK, 290,143 people have tested positive for the disease, up 1,003 on the day before.

It’s now well 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 has not risen since last week, remaining at 38, as of Tuesday.

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 68 as of Sunday, up six on last week, however. That’s 30 higher than the Scottish Government figure of 38 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, June 2.

They are among 2,439 coronavirus patients killed by the disease in Scotland so far, up five overnight from 2,434, and 41,128 UK-wide, a rise of 245 on the day before.

Altogether, 15 Scots, none of them in the Borders, are in intensive care receiving treatment for coronavirus, along with another six suspected to be infected but awaiting test results.

Just over 132,000 tests for the illness have been carried out in Scotland so far, with 116,319 turning out negative.

Giving an update in edinburgh today on the Covid-19 outbreak, first minister Nicola Sturgeon reported: “There have been 15,682 positive cases confirmed through our NHS labs. That’s an increase of 17 from yesterday.

“A total of 909 patients are in hospital with confirmed or suspected Covid-19. That represents a total decrease of 78 since yesterday, including a decrease of 10 in the number of confirmed cases.

“A total of 21 people last night were in intensive care with confirmed or suspected Covid 19. That is an increase of three since yesterday, but all of the increase is in suspected cases.

“Since March 5, a total of 3,858 patients who had tested positive and needed hospital treatment for the virus have been able to leave hospital, and I wish all of them well.

“In the past 24 hours, five deaths were registered of patients confirmed through a test as having the virus. The total number of deaths in Scotland, under that measurement, is now 2,439.

“As always, it’s important to stress that the figures I have just read out are not just statistics. They all represent individuals who right now are being mourned by their families and friends, so again I want to send my deepest condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one to this illness.”

Ms Sturgeon also told of her hopes of being able to ease the current lockdown further next Thursday, saying: “Next week, a week today, we will have a further review of the lockdown restrictions.

“I am currently very hopeful that at that point we will be able to lift some further restrictions.

“We may not be able to do everything in phase two, but I hope that we can do certainly at least some of that. Of course, it is also possible that some of these changes will be phased over a three-week period, but I’m hopeful that we will be able to take some further important steps forward when we report on the review next week.

“It is important again to stress that we must do that cautiously and proportionately, and I will also make the point that we will be in a better position to lift more restrictions if all of us continue to stick with the current guidelines and further suppress the virus to lower levels than it is even now.”