Increase in Highland coronavirus cases slows
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THE number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the NHS Highland area slowed today after several days of larger-than-average increases.
Just two further cases of the virus were confirmed in the past 24 hours – taking the NHS Highland area's total to 299.
But the figure is 57 cases higher than the overall total of 242 that was recorded as recently as Thursday – a rise of almost a quarter inside four days.
The increases came amid confirmation from NHS Highland yesterday that there had been a "significant number" of cases among staff and residents of a Skye care home.
Today's two Highland cases came amid an overall increase of 169 across Scotland as a whole, which has recorded 12,266 positive tests since the outbreak first began. The number of people who tested positive who have died rose by five to 1576.
The number of people receiving treatment in Scottish hospitals with suspected or confirmed Covid-19 increased by 54 to 1720 last night, but those in intensive care remained the same, at 99.
There were 44 people with confirmed or suspected coronavirus being treated in NHS Highland hospitals.
Elsewhere in the north, Shetland, Orkney and Western Isles again saw no fresh diagnoses. They have have had 54, seven and six cases respectively since the outbreak began.
NHS Grampian recorded 33 new diagnoses, taking its total to 931, but the number of people receiving hospital treatment for the virus fell from 147 to 130.
