AS THE number of people in hospital and intensive care continues to rise across Scotland, and the number of deaths among those who have previously tested positive passes 5,000, the number of positive cases in East Lothian continues to fall and remains in the five lowest in Scotland.

Today (Tuesday), for the period between January 3 and 9, there were 142 positive cases recorded and the seven-day positive rate per 100,000 people was sitting at 132.6.

This is fewer than the 157 cases and seven-day positive rate per 100,000 people of 146.6 reported yesterday (Monday).

This decrease means that the county’s figures remain the lowest in the Lothian health board area and the fifth lowest in Scotland.

By comparison, Edinburgh’s seven-day positive rate per 100,000 people is sitting at 212.0, Midlothian’s at 183.9 and West Lothian’s at 161.1; all are also a decrease compared to the figures announced yesterday.

In East Lothian, the number of places that are an area of concern with a seven-day positive rate per 100,000 people between 200 and 399 has decreased from six to four in the past 24 hours. Remaining on the list are: Musselburgh West (10 cases), Musselburgh North (10 cases), Cockenzie (13 cases) and Haddington Rural (14 cases).

The number of places with a seven-day positive rate per 100,000 people between 100 and 199 has increased slightly from eight to 10 in the past 24 hours. It now consists of: Musselburgh East (five cases), Wallyford/Whitecraig (11 cases), Pinkie Braes (four cases), Prestonpans West (nine cases), Prestonpans East (six cases), Tranent North (13 cases), Tranent South (10 cases), Ormiston (four cases), North Berwick South (eight cases) and East Linton and Rural (eight cases).

The number of places at the other end of the scale remains at five.

Gullane and Drem, Dunbar East, Dunbar West, Haddington South and North Berwick North continued to record fewer than two cases each in the seven days up to January 9.

Haddington North, Longniddry and Aberlady, and Musselburgh South all have a seven-day positive rate per 100,000 people between 50 and 99.

Across Scotland as a whole today, 1,875 new cases were recorded, which represents 12 per cent of all tests carried out yesterday; 214 of these cases were in the Lothian healthboard area.

A total of 54 deaths were recorded among those who had previously tested positive.

The number of people in hospital with recently confirmed Covid-19 increased by 53 over the past 24 hours to 1,717; the number of people in intensive care increased by seven over the weekend to 133.

This number of people in hospital is more than the peak of 1,500 seen during the peak of the first wave last spring.

Also included in Scotland’s daily data is the number of people who have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

A total of 175,942 have now received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccination, an increase of 12,565 from yesterday. A total of 2,857 have received their second dose

Tomorrow (Wednesday), Nicola Sturgeon is to address MSPs in the Scottish Parliament, with any changes to the current rules and restrictions laid out in her statement.