London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Oct 26, 2026

Second highest rise in Covid cases since May

Second highest rise in Covid cases since May

The Scottish government says 88 more positive coronavirus cases have been recorded in the past 24 hours.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted there was "no need for alarm" and the rise was partly due to increased testing.

There were no new deaths reported in the past 24 hours.

Five people were being treated in intensive care on Friday evening, up two on the previous day.

The largest recent rise in cases was just over a week ago on 22 August when 123 new cases were registered. Before that the next largest increase was on 22 May, when 113 new cases were confirmed.

In its daily update, the Scottish government said 0.7% of newly-tested individuals were found to have the virus.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde saw a rise of 36 positive cases. The health board later said it was contact tracing in connection with Gilmour & Dean Eurostampa, a printing firm based in Whiteinch.


Jason Leitch said he was surprised at how quickly an outbreak in Tayside had been contained


NHS Ayrshire and Arran saw 10 new cases. On Friday the health board said it was contact tracing with a small number of pupils in a South Ayrshire Council secondary school who have had contact with a confirmed case of Covid-19.

Test and Protect staff were also tracing contacts of a separate small number of positive cases.

Cases in NHS Tayside and Grampian where there have been outbreaks rose by 11 and six respectively.

Scotland's national clinical director, Jason Leitch, told the BBC: "It's up from yesterday. But it is down from last Saturday. It has been about this level, 50-100, for about three or four weeks."

He said there was no indication that there was a new major outbreak of the nature of Aberdeen or Coupar Angus.

But he noted the rise in the number of people being treated in intensive care units.

He said: "People should not take this lightly - everybody needs to do their bit to keep these numbers low."

How many cases have there been over the last 60 days?




Mr Leitch added that he felt the outbreak in Coupar Angus, linked to the 2Sisters food plant, had been contained "really well".

He said: "The incident management team are doing a really fantastic job. I am actually a little surprised that we have been able to contain it. It was a lot of people dispersed across Tayside and they have behaved really well.

"They have been contacted by the local authority with lots of home visits and whole-house self-isolation and we have seen pretty much no community transmission from that outbreak."

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted that there was "no need for alarm" over the rise in cases.

She said the leap was due to an increase in testing, and the proportion of people tested returning positive results remained below 1%.

"The increase in cases just now partly reflects a greater volume of testing. Crucially, our positivity rate remains low (below 1% again today). So no need for alarm. But there is a need to be very careful & cautious - it is all very delicately balanced just now," she said.


Nicola Sturgeon said more testing was taking place


Jason Leitch revealed that he will be writing to parents in the coming week to reinforce the guidance on when a test for the virus is required.

Almost 17,500 children were tested in the week after schools returned, putting pressure on the testing system.

He said that he wanted to reassure parents on what to do in scenarios where cold and flu symptoms were present.

He added that the Scottish government wanted to get the guidance across as simply as possible to make sure everyone stayed safe.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Education or Indoctrination? The Growing Debate Over Religious Participation in British Schools
Germany's Vanishing Shopfronts: The Silent Collapse of the Businesses That Built Its Cities
Transport for London Unveils Expanded Zero-Emission Bus Fleet to Meet Capital Air Quality Targets
Higher Education Institutions Face Deepening Financial Strain Amid Declining International Student Enrolment
Automotive Industry Leaders Criticize Government Tax Policies and Urge Action on Retail Consumer Confidence
Environment Agency Issues Flood Alerts Across Scottish and English Waterways Following Heavy Rainfall
Independent Audit Highlights Persistent Security Vulnerabilities Across Legacy Government Digital Portals
Northern Ireland Political Leaders Clash Over Westminster Funding Allocations Ahead of Autumn Budget
Ethnic Minorities in England Face Significant Disparities in Routine Breast Cancer Diagnosis Rates
National Police Chiefs Report Alarming Surge in Domestic Abuse Cases Fuelled by Expanding Illegal Cocaine Market
Government Announces Two Hundred and Twenty Million Pound Pothole Funding Boost for Local Highway Authorities
China Issues Formal Warning Over Potential United Kingdom Restrictions on Chinese Electric Vehicles
British Defence Ministers Sign E5 Pact to Enhance European Military Capabilities and Industrial Cooperation Within NATO
United Kingdom Business Activity Expands at Fastest Pace in Eight Months According to S&P Global Flash Survey
Chancellor John Healey Prepares Major Devolution Package and Bank Profit Surcharge Ahead of Upcoming Autumn Budget
National Health Service Consultants in England Announce Two-Day Strike Action Scheduled for November
Major Clean-Up Under Way Across Britain Following Destruction Caused by Consecutive Storms Austen and Boelo
KEY TRENDS TO WATCH
Declassified Intelligence Files Reveal British Security Services Monitored National Health Service Founder
British Government Launches Sweeping Regulatory Crackdown on High-Risk Cosmetic Procedures
Scottish National Party Demands Ban on Using Scottish Revenues to Fund English Nuclear Energy Projects
Mayor of London Initiates Landmark Pedestrianisation of Oxford Street to Revitalise Global Retail Hub
British Judges Granted Expanded Legal Powers to Punish Convicted Killers Who Refuse to Attend Sentencing
United Kingdom Poised to Miss Reduced International Aid Spending Targets Ahead of Fiscal Review
Surging Cocaine Consumption Drives Record Drug Fatalities and Rising Crime Rates Across Britain
Department of Health and Social Care Announces One Hundred and Forty Million Pound Boost for Urgent Care
British Services Sector Records Strongest Growth in Eight Months Despite Broader Economic Uncertainty
United Kingdom Retail Sales Suffer Unexpected Decline as Consumer Confidence Plummets
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham Urges National Debate on Restoring European Union Free Movement
Deep Cabinet Divisions Emerge Over Controversial Approval of North Sea Fossil Fuel Projects
United Kingdom Government Urges Citizens to Stockpile Essential Supplies in National Resilience Pivot
Storm Boelo Kills Two People and Cuts Power to Tens of Thousands Across Great Britain
Critical Software Flaw Forces Dozens of United Kingdom Government Services Offline Amid Mass Security Warnings
UK Consumer Confidence Tumbles Amid Rising Energy Costs and Global Commodity Price Pressures
North Sea Transition Authority Approves Production from Jackdaw Gas Field to Bolster Domestic Energy Security
Storm Boelo Leaves Tens of Thousands of Households Without Power Across Scotland and Northern Ireland
UK Government Launches National Be Ready Campaign Urging Households to Prepare Three Days of Emergency Supplies
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs Implements Stricter Water Quality Regulations for British Rivers
Welsh Government Launches Major Renewable Energy Initiative to Expand Offshore Wind Capacity Along the Coast
Northern Ireland Executive Reaches Final Agreement on Comprehensive Regional Infrastructure Modernization Plan
Office for National Statistics Reports Moderate Increase in British Retail Sales Driven by Autumn Discounts
Scottish First Minister Announces Emergency Housing Strategy to Tackle Severe Homelessness Across Urban Centers
Automotive Industry Leaders in the United Kingdom Urge Government Support for Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Transition
United Kingdom and European Union Initiate High-Level Negotiations on Post-Brexit Defense and Security Pact
National Health Service England Introduces Sweeping Digital Reforms to Reduce Hospital Waiting Lists Nationwide
Chancellor of the Exchequer Outlines Emergency Fiscal Measures to Address Local Government Funding Crises Across England
Bank of England Governor Warns of Persistent Inflation Pressures Impacting Interest Rate Decisions in the United Kingdom
UK Conservative Party Suspends Former Electoral Candidate Following Undercover Investigation
Actors and Writers Condemn British Anti Terror Legislation Targeting Activist Groups and Free Speech
Central Bank and Treasury Monitor Inflation Risks as International Monetary Fund Upgrades United Kingdom Growth Forecast
×