North Ayrshire’s weekly Covid totals have continued their dramatic fall from more than a thousand weekly cases earlier this month.

There were 1,119 cases being recorded weekly at the beginning of September, but since then case numbers have plunged.

The latest Public Health Scotland statistics show that there were 655 cases recorded in the seven days between September 18-24.

That’s a decrease from 841 cases the week before and gives us a seven-day rate per 100,000 of population of 487.9.

In North Ayrshire, 94.1 per cent of the population above 16-years-old have had at least one dose of a Covid vaccine and 87.4 per cent have had two.

Last week was the most deadly week for the pandemic since March, with fourteen people in Ayrshire dying where Covid-19 was mentioned on their death certificate.

Vaccine passports are set to come into effect from this Friday, October 1 at 5am.

It means that people attending large gatherings, such as sporting events and nightclubs will have to show proof that they’ve had two jags.

An NHS Scotland Covid Status App will be available from September 30.

Those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons will be able to show a document confirming that they are exempt. While under-18s are exempt from the scheme, they may need to show proof of age.

The events and venues requiring double doses are nightclubs, sexual entertainment venues, unseated indoor events with more than 500 people, unseated outdoor events with more than 4,000 people, and any event with more than 10,000 people.