HIGHER levels of transmission due to the Delta Covid-19, coupled with increased testing, has led to a spike in cases across Forth Valley, health chiefs have said.

Officials from NHS Forth Valley last week helped to put numbers into context following the rise, which has seen more than 100 new cases being added to the total tally from across the wider area each day.

As many as 102 new cases were reported on Tuesday, June 22, followed by 121 and 120 on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Clackmannanshire share of the above Forth Valley cases was 19, 20 and 23 on the respective days.

The increases are linked to a number of factors, according to the health board, including workplaces and schools in the area as well as the high levels of community transmission due to the Delta variant of the virus.

Public health officials explained last week that this variant spreads far more quickly and easily than previous ones.

NHS Forth Valley is also carrying out significantly more testing, which is helping to identify more positive cases in a bid to reduce the spread.

Fortunately, the recent increase in case numbers has not been mirrored by a huge rise in the number of people who require treatment at the hospital in Larbert, where 12 patients with recently confirmed Covid were being looked after as at last week.

Dr Graham Foster, director of public health at NHS Forth Valley, said: “Together with our partners we keep working hard to identify cases and reduce the spread of Covid-19.

“However, we are still seeing new cases of coronavirus in Forth Valley every day linked to local households, businesses and schools.

“This clearly shows the virus is still out there and hasn’t gone away and I’d encourage everyone to remain vigilant and take up the offer of regular Covid-19 rapid testing to help prevent the virus from spreading within our local communities.”

Thankfully, figures published on Friday, June 25, showed a decrease with 78 cases reported in the Forth Valley and only two in Clacks.

However, the call for vigilance was echoed last week by Dr Andrea Ammon, director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

The organisation last week published a threat assessment on the implications of the spread of the Delta variant, confirming that evidence points to it being “more transmissible than other circulating variants”.

Indeed, the director said that by the end of August, it is estimated that the Delta variant will represent 90 per cent of coronavirus variants circulating on the continent.

She said: “It is very likely that the Delta variant will circulate extensively during the summer, particularly among younger individuals that are not targeted for vaccination.

“This could cause a risk for the more vulnerable individuals to be infected and experience severe illness and death if they are not fully vaccinated.”

People in Clacks are encouraged to take advantage of free lateral flow tests for those who do not have any symptoms.

These are available from bit.ly/3gQx2RH, at test centres and a number of pharmacies.