THERE has been a sharp rise in the number of Covid-19 infections in Scotland, figures show.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said around one in 35 people in Scotland had Covid-19 in the week up to October 10.
Equivalent to about 144,400 people, the figure is a rise from one in 50 people in the week up to September 29 – the most recent previous statistic.
But despite the increase in Scotland, ONS deputy director of the survey, Sarah Crofts, said the trend of infections was still “uncertain”.
Cases have risen across the UK, except Northern Ireland, according to the survey, with England rising from one in 35 to one in 30 people estimated to have the virus and Wales rising from one in 40 to one in 25.
“Infections have continued to increase across England and Wales, with uncertain trends in Northern Ireland and Scotland,” Crofts said.
“Though infections have increased overall in England, it is a mixed picture across regions and age groups.
“It is too early to say from the data whether overall recent rises are starting to slow, but we will continue to monitor the data closely.”
The figures come as the number of deaths from the virus in Scotland also saw an increase.
National Records of Scotland (NRS) announced on Thursday that 52 death certificates in the country mentioned the virus in the week up to October 16, a jump from 16 the week before.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here