GLASGOW has the highest weekly rate of new Covid-19 cases in Scotland amid an uptick of positive tests mainly in the central belt.
The increase is particularly apparent among people aged between 25 and 44, chief medical officer Dr Gregor Smith said at today's coronavirus briefing.
Across Scotland, there were 4074 coronavirus cases in the past seven days, compared to 3601 for the previous seven-day period. Before this, cases had generally been declining since January.
Dr Smith said the return of some pupils to schools may be part of the reason behind the latest uptick, as parents begin to meet up with other adults again.
Meanwhile a lower prevalence of Covid antibodies in Scotland compared to other parts of the UK has also been suggested. This is owed to the lower case numbers north of the Border last year.
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Discussing the increase in cases, Dr Smith said: “In the areas of Scotland, it tends to be the central belt.
“It’s Ayrshire and Arran, it’s Lanarkshire, it’s particularly Glasgow just now.
“We’ve seen that Glasgow city as a local authority is probably showing the highest seven-day cumulative incidence of any local authority in Scotland.”
Dr Smith was also asked about cases linked to celebrations by Rangers fans in Glasgow earlier this month following the club’s league win.
He said a “small number of people” had been very honest about their participation in the celebrations, adding he was “very grateful” for their honesty.
He went on to urge anyone with symptoms to come forward for a test and provide contact tracers with as much information as possible.
Also speaking at the briefing, Nicola Sturgeon said: “Taking it all together, the case numbers over the last week are a hard reminder that the virus hasn’t magically disappeared.
“If we let it spread it will spread.
READ MORE: Covid update Scotland: 'Small number' of cases linked to Rangers fans celebrations
“We don’t yet have that critical mass of the population vaccinated to start really bearing down on transmission.”
If people begin to loosen their adherence to the rules, she said, the “hopeful” path out of lockdown set out yesterday would become more doubtful.
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