Caithness health campaigner in fresh call for local Covid-19 figures
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A local health campaigner has issued a renewed call for the Scottish Government to reveal the number of coronavirus cases in the far north.
Bill Fernie, chairman of Caithness Health Action Team (Chat), said it would be useful if the figures for different areas within the NHS Highland region were published as it would cause less worry to people.
The numbers of positive cases continue to be reported on the basis of NHS Highland as a whole rather than for individual areas.
Mr Fernie said: "If you don't put the figures out there, rumours start circulating and go round on social media. Putting the figures out for areas such as Caithness would be the most sensible thing to do."
He claimed that with NHS Highland covering such a large part of Scotland – stretching from Caithness to Kintyre – giving numbers for the entire region was not helpful. He insisted that breaking them down to individual counties would be better and would not identify individuals.
"What they are doing by holding on to the information is worrying everyone that it could be just along the road," Mr Fernie said.
"I do not understand why NHS Highland is not releasing this information. If people knew there were no new cases in the area it might make them relax a little bit."
Putting the figures out for areas such as Caithness would be the most sensible thing to do.
He felt that the local economy would suffer from the lack of detailed figures, adding: "If NHS Highland has got the information it is not in Wick and Thurso, putting that out might help people spend some money."
A spokesperson for NHS Highland said: "Numbers on confirmed cases of Covid-19 are released by the Scottish Government. These are broken down to local authority area. We will not be breaking them down any further due to patient confidentiality.
"Where positive cases are identified we undertake follow-up, including contact tracing, with the case and we issue appropriate advice and guidance to the relevant individuals and to organisations.
"There is evidence of increasing transmission of Covid-19 across Scotland. Covid-19 is still here and it is important that everyone takes responsibility and follows the national guidance to keep them and others safe.
"Everyone in Highland, Argyll and Bute has a role to play to keep the number of positive cases as low as possible."
