Covid cases and hospital admissions rise in Scotland

Coronavirus cases in Scotland are continuing to rise along with hospital admissions.

According to data from Public Health Scotland, 1,153 cases were recorded in the week ending June 30.

The number of hospital admissions rose from 487 to 564 in the same week.

Of these, the number of acute Covid related hospital admissions stands at 443 with the largest number being recorded in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde area at 156, an increase of 48 patients.

The surge in Covid cases across the country has prompted the nation’s health body to return to weekly updates on the spread of the virus.

The agency usually releases new data on coronavirus every four weeks during the spring and summer as the spread of the disease naturally falls but has now switched to weekly reported.

PHS said it had detected the increase in Covid in wastewater for several weeks which it said was accompanied by a rise in laboratory-confirmed PCR and self-reported cases.

Although there has been an increase in hospital admissions, it said rates remain below recent peaks in spring and winter 2023.

In an effort to lower the number of Covid cases, the PHS said on its website: “Maintaining proper hand and respiratory hygiene can help protect against numerous common viruses.

“If you have symptoms of a respiratory infection and feel unwell, or have a fever, you should stay at home and avoid contact with other people.”