Caution urged as Scots Coronavirus figures show 'flattening'

Scotland’s health chiefs have urged caution after the latest Coronavirus figures showed the outbreak may be “flattening off” north of the border.

The 322 increase in positive cases in yesterday’s figures were just four higher than Friday’s hike, taking the total in Scotland to 5,912.

The number of intensive care cases was also up by just nine to 221, while the number of people in hospital with suspected COVID-19 decreased by 100.

The latest daily figures for deaths was 24, half of Friday’s total of 48, although this may down to lower registration levels of fatalities at the weekend.

Jeane Freeman says more data is needed

Professor Jason Leitch, national clinical director, said that the indicators in Scotland are “perhaps beginning to show flattening.”

But he warned: “I use my words very, very carefully.

“The peak has never been going to be a single day - it’s never going to be a Tuesday and then suddenly everybody gets back to work and we open up everything again. That’s not how this is gong to work.

“There are some early signs that the lead indicators may be flattening off or not accelerating as they were.

“But let me be very clear that’s a fragile place. It’s exceptionally fragile and if we remove the social distancing or the other measures too early that will crumble.”

Her added: “We’ve seen that around the world when people have begun to think they can release and then there’s then been another spike in cases and deaths.

“We need to be very, very cautious. We’re in it for a long haul.”

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman insisted it was too early to look at easing the restrictions.

“We need more and more data to be sure about exactly where we are,” she said.

“It’s too early on the basis of one day’s data to read too much into that.”