Scotland reports 123 new cases of coronavirus in past 24 hours

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the rise in coronavirus cases was 'of concern' but added most new positive tests were linked to an outbreak at a food processing plant in Coupar Angus. PIC: Jeff Mitchell/Getty.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon described the large number of cases as being "of concern".

But she said the rise must be seen in the context of the coronavirus cluster linked to the 2 Sisters food processing plant in Coupar Angus.

Of the new cases reported on Saturday, 78 were in the NHS Tayside area.

The rise includes the growing cluster of infecton linked to the 2 Sisters food factory in Coupar Angus. PIC: Google Maps.

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But the number of newly confirmed cases is the highest it has been since May 16, when there were 187 cases confirmed, and compares with the 10 cases that were confirmed one month ago on July 22.

Ms Sturgeon tweeted: "123 new positive #Covid cases today is of course of concern. However, it also needs some context - 78 of them are in Tayside where we're dealing with the outbreak at the 2 Sisters food processing plant.

"Important that all workers and household contacts follow advice to isolate."

The food plant is currently closed, with anyone living in a household with a factory worker having been told to isolate at home until Monday August 31.

A total of 19,728 people have now tested positive for Covid-19 in Scotland.

The latest daily figures show there were 246 people in hospital with confirmed coronavirus, a drop of eight from the previous day's total.

There were two people in intensive care with the disease on Friday night, which is unchanged over 24 hours.

There were no new deaths reported among patients who have previously tested positive for the virus.

There were eight new cases of coronavirus in the NHS Grampian area, where authorities have been dealing with a cluster of cases linked to pubs in Aberdeen.

This outbreak has seen local lockdown measures imposed on the city, forcing bars, cafes and restaurants to shut, while residents are being asked not to go into other people's homes.

NHS Grampian said the number of cases associated with the cluster is now 254, with this total including some cases which had previously been detected but have now been found to have a link to the hospitality sector in Aberdeen after more detailed investigation.

National clinical director Jason Leitch said: "Today, we have seen the highest number of confirmed cases in a few months with more than 100 positive cases.

"Around two thirds (78) of the new cases have been recorded in the Tayside area.

"While the figure may be alarming at first glance, this is to be expected as the Test and Protect team continue to work hard to test employees at the 2 Sisters factory and identify their close contacts, following the outbreak at the Coupar Angus site.

"We know that around 90% of the 78 new cases identified in Tayside today are linked to the outbreak at the 2 Sisters factory and we will likely continue to see these numbers rise in the next few days.

"This outbreak is linked to one site and affects the 2 Sisters workforce and the people immediately around them. We have therefore asked household contacts of those affected by the outbreak in Tayside to remain at home until August 31 as a precaution."

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