THERE are "early signs" of coronavirus transmission rates stabilising in the Wee County and wider Forth Valley area, public health officials said this week.

Recent days has brought a steady drop in the number of patients being treated at Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert with recently confirmed Covid-19.

However, with the figures still higher than in April last year, public health officials remain cautious as the number of cases across the area still remains high.

In an update for the Advertiser, NHS Forth Valley also explained that significantly more tests are being carried out in the area covered by the health board, up to 50 per cent more than in other parts of Scotland.

Dr Graham Foster, director of public health at NHS Forth Valley, said: "It has been a challenging couple of months with high levels of Covid-19 across the Forth Valley area.

"Together with all our local partners we keep working hard to identify cases and reduce transmission.

"We are now seeing some early signs of local rates starting to stabilise or reduce and the number of patients in our hospitals with Covid-19 is also starting to come down.

"However, we are continuing to see high levels of transmission in our local communities and as the new strain of the virus is far more easily spread, it is vital that people remain vigilant and take extra care to protect themselves at this time.

"Please try to stay two metres apart, do not share cars with anyone from outside your household and follow FACTS at home and at work."

The health board explained that cases remain high in the wider region, particularly in the Falkirk area.

As at Thursday, February 25, the total number of positive cases in Falkirk reached 5,651 since the start of the outbreak with 41 new cases reported today.

In comparison the Wee County, a third the size of Falkirk, has had 1,988 cases in total, with six new today.

The Stirling Council area, around two-thirds the size of Falkirk in population, has a running total of 2,861 cases, 27 newly reported today.

NHS Forth Valley explained that high case numbers are due to a number of factors, including outbreaks in workplaces.

With more testing carried out than other places in Scotland, more positive cases are being identified.

These include coronavirus in individuals who were not showing any of the common symptoms.

Testing is often targeted at workplaces and community facilities where small numbers of positive cases have been identified in what is a proactive approach to identify further positive cases at an early stage and reduce the spread.

The health board said this approach has been "very effective" at managing local outbreaks, but it does lead to more positive cases being reported.