CITY SEES YEAR’S FIRST PROGRESS

‘Cautious optimism’ as coronavirus rate in Glasgow down for first time in 2021

THE weekly Covid-19 cases total in Glasgow has fallen for the first time this year. According to the latest statistics, cases in the city have dropped to the lowest seven-day total since Christmas.

In the seven days up to Friday, January 22, there were 1688 positive cases recorded in Glasgow.

It is a drop from 2136 for the previous seven days, up to January 15 – and is the lowest figure since Christmas Day when the previous seven days showed 1036 new cases.

It appears to be evidence of what First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said was “grounds for cautious optimism” that community transmission is starting to reduce.

The city’s seven-day rate per 100,000, a key indicator used by the government in setting lockdown restrictions, dropped from 337 per 100,000 on January 15 to 266 per 100,000 on January 22.

It is hoped to be the start of a trend of coronavirus reducing as the lockdown restrictions take effect and the vaccination programme gets rolled out to more people.

Glasgow is still much higher than the Scottish average and higher than all but one other council area.

Only North Lanarkshire, with 284 cases per 100,000 population, is higher than Glasgow.

Renfrewshire, at 252 per 100,000, and South Lanarkshire, at 234, are the next highest, with East Dunbartonshire, at 231, making up the five highest areas in the country.

The lowest are Orkney, at 35 per 100,000, Argyll and Bute, at 60, Shetland, at 65, Highland, at 79, and East Lothian, at 97.

In Glasgow, the area with the highest level of Covid-19 in the seven-day period was Drumry East, where the 25 cases recorded equated to 753 per 100,000 population.

The neighbourhood, in the west of Glasgow, was one of 24 in the city with a rate of more than 400, shown on the map as the darkest purple.

The next highest was Milton East followed by Drumry West. The five highest were completed with Carnwadric West and Baillieston West.

The other areas in the 10 highest in Glasgow were Summerston Central and North, Drumchapel North, North Barlanark/ Easterhouse South, Penilee and Carntyne.

There were another 68 areas where the rate was between 200 and 399 per 100,000, shown on the map as the second darkest purple.

They ranged from Petershill with 14 cases, which works out at 387 per 100,000, and Crookston North at 12, which is 386 per 100,000, to Blairdardie East with 11 cases, at 200 per 100,000, and Keppochill with 10, which is 204 per 100,000 population.

Another 32 communities had a rate of 100 to 199, shown as the darker grey on the map.

They included, at the higher end of the scale, Baillieston East with 14 cases, which is 196 per 100,000, and Knightswood at five, equating to the same rate, as it has a much lower population.

At the lower end of the scale there were Knightswood Park East with four cases, equal to 103 per 100,000, and Anderston at six, which is 107 per 100,000.

Over the week period there were five communities where the cases recorded were between zero and two, with the virus classed as suppressed at that time, shown as white on the map.

It is an improvement on the week before when there were two.

The lowest rate of Covid -19 was to be found in North Kelvin, Pollokshaws, Shawlands West, Sighthill and Victoria Park.

There were another nine areas where the case numbers were between 50 and 99 per 100,000 population, shown as light grey on the map.

These were Dennistoun, Glasgow Harbour/Partick South, Finnieston/Kelvinhaugh, Muirend and Old Cathcart, Dowanhill, Langside, Cathcart, Hillhead and Kelvindale.

Sturgeon said at her daily coronavirus briefing that she and the government felt reduced case numbers being reported were giving “some cautious grounds for optimism”.

She said: “We are seeing some early evidence that these restrictions are working, and are starting to reduce case numbers.

“While it will take a bit of time yet for that to feed properly into admissions into hospital and ICU, we also hope that we might be starting to see some early positive signs there too.

“But this is only happening because so many people are complying with these restrictions, and for us to maintain this progress at the moment we must all continue to stick with it.”

The latest daily statistics showed 752 new cases in Scotland, with 224 in Greater Glasgow. There were 2016 people in hospital, up by six, and 151 in ICU, down by six.

Seven-day positive rate per 100,000 population