Highest one-day spike since outbreak began

A NEW wave of coronavirus restrictions could be imposed after a record rise in confirmed cases.

Another 806 were yesterday confirmed to have tested positive for the virus in Scotland – the highest in a single day since the start of the pandemic.

Although the majority involve younger people, particularly students at the centre of a series of outbreaks, concerns were raised about rising transmission among older adults.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said universities were a ‘significant driver’ for the continuing rise, but transmission in older age groups is down to household mixing and the hospitality industry.

And she said future ‘targeted measures’ to tackle the virus could be local or national.

Miss Sturgeon said the 806 figure included results from samples taken on Friday and Saturday which may have been expected to be reported on Monday.

Test results are supposed to be returned within around 24 hours. Miss Sturgeon insisted turnaround times had improved and work is ongoing with the UK Government to ensure they ‘continue to be as speedy as they need to be’.

The previous high was the 714 cases reported on Saturday.

The proportion of newly-tested people who were positive also increased, from 6.9 per cent on Monday to 11.5 per cent yesterday.

There were 302 cases in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 180 in Lothian, 91 in Lanarkshire and 54 in Grampian.

No new deaths of patients who first tested positive for the virus in the previous 28 days have been recorded, with this total remaining at 2,511.

There are 123 people in hospital confirmed to have the virus, up by one in 24 hours.

Of these patients, 14 were in intensive care, down by two. Around a third of the 806 new cases were among the over-40s, the First Minister said, but a ‘significant majority’ involved people under 40, with the ‘bulk’ of those under 25.

She warned that young people can also become seriously unwell from the virus.

Earlier, Professor Sir Harry Burns, a former chief medical officer of Scotland, told the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland radio programme that Covid-19 could be back under control ‘within two to three weeks’ if restrictions put in place last week – including the ban on household visits and 10pm hospitality curfew – were followed.

He said: ‘The quicker people do that and stick with it, we will see things coming down within two to three weeks.’

The Scottish Hospitality Group yesterday said its members have served 1.87million customers since venues reopened, with only 17 confirmed cases recorded amongst customers and staff.

‘Within two to three weeks’