Caithness has 79 new Covid cases as Omicron accounts for 80 per cent of cases across Scotland

The latest figures from Public Health Scotland show that there were 79 Covid cases across Caithness in the most recent seven-day period.

Public Health Scotland's interactive dashboard has a map giving the number of positive cases in individual neighbourhoods, seven of which are in Caithness.

The numbers, updated on Wednesday after a break for the Christmas public holidays, cover the period from December 20 to 26.

The Thurso West neighbourhood had 21 new cases, while Caithness North West and Caithness North East each had 15. Thurso East saw 10 fresh coronavirus cases, while Wick South had eight, Wick North six and Caithness South four.

There were a further 64 cases across Sutherland during the same period.

The update came as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told the Scottish parliament that the restrictions on large gatherings and hospitality settings would remain in place until January 17. She also urged people to stay at home as much as possible over New Year and to limit household gatherings.

She said the Omicron variant now accounts for around 80 per cent of Covid cases in Scotland.

But no new measures were announced to combat the spread.

Meanwhile, the NHS Highland area recorded a further 672 cases of Covid on Wednesday, with 549 of those in the Highland Council area.

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