YESTERDAY saw a spike in the number of coronavirus cases being reported in Clacks and the wider Forth Valley.

The spike, which saw 14 new cases being reported from the Wee County on Tuesday May 18, came after some promising figures in the past week.

Indeed, the past week has seen several days when the number of cases reported from the Wee County was zero, including a day when only one new case was reported from the whole of the Forth Valley.

The latest seven day average infection rate per 100,000 people jumped to 25.2 after yesterday's figures were added.

Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 2,529 positive cases of Covid-19 in Clackmannanshire, according to official figures from Public Health Scotland.

The same statistic for the wider area covered by NHS Forth Valley stood at 12,840 yesterday.

However, hospital coronavirus patient numbers remained low, at less than five and the same in ICU.

The vaccination programme is also steaming ahead.

As reported today, the 30-39 age group is this week being invited to join the more than 180,800 people who have received their first dose and the nearly 92,500 who have received their second dose of the vaccine.

Elsewhere in the Forth Valley, Falkirk has seen 6,824 cases since the pandemic began with two new cases added yesterday.

Stirling recorded 3,474 cases with nine added in the statistics reported yesterday.