Covid Scotland: Are cases in Tayside and Fife still rising?

As the school holidays begin, Covid case numbers across Tayside and Fife are on the rise this week again.

Since the start of June the number of local cases has been steadily rising.

In the week between June 4 and June 10 there was an increase of 50% in both Dundee and Fife.

But what are the figures for your area and how many new positive cases are there?

Figures on the number of local cases are reported on a weekly basis.

How many new positive cases near you?

Between June 18 and June 24 the figures for Courier country show:

• Perth and Kinross had the greatest increase with a 29.1% rise (533 positive cases).
• Dundee City showed an increase of 21.6% (417 positive cases).
• Fife had an increase of 18.7% (1204 positive cases).
• Angus had an increase of 16.6% (365 positive cases).

The rise in case numbers comes amid a new wave of Covid, thought to be caused by the new, more contagious BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron variants.

Why are case numbers rising?

A Scottish Government spokesperson tells us variants arise and spread at different rates in different populations.

They add: “The UK and Scottish rises are being driven by sub-variants of Omicron and it is not unusual to see different rates at points in time in each area.”

There’s a range of surveillance programmes in place, including testing.

And they’re working with Public Health Scotland (PHS) to identify new threats as early as possible to help tackle them.

What is the advice?

Scotland scrapped all Covid regulations in April.

The Scottish Government adds: “Covid hasn’t gone away.

“Which is why we continue to ask people and businesses to take sensible precautions to protect themselves and others.

“This includes the continued wearing of face coverings where and when appropriate alongside following the latest advice on hygiene and ventilation.

Individual actions can help

In an interview with The Courier on the recent wave, head of health intelligence at NHS Grampian, Jillian Evans, gave her advice.

She says: “We should be concerned, but not overly because we know what to do to protect ourselves.

“Individually, the actions we take can help.

“That means being up to date on your vaccines because that still gives you the best degree of protection.”

Scottish Government advises anyone eligible for any dose of the vaccination can get vaccinated by calling the National Vaccines Helpline and arranging an appointment.

They’re also waiting on final advice from the JCVI regarding the autumn and winter booster programme.

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