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NHS Highland public health chief issues new appeal in Covid-19 fight


By Alan Hendry

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NHS Highland’s director of public health has issued a fresh appeal to people across the region to help in the fight against Covid-19.

Dr Tim Allison warned that coronavirus cases are increasing in Highland, Argyll and Bute, as they are in the rest of Scotland and in the UK as a whole.

His plea came as the Scottish Government was finalising its new tier system for Covid restrictions, amid a widespread expectation that the Highlands would be placed in level one – the second least restrictive tier.

With the number of cases across NHS Highland having now passed 900 since the start of the pandemic, the health board is emphasising the importance of self-isolating for those who have confirmed coronavirus and those who are identified as close contacts.

Dr Allison said: “We are seeing an increasing number of confirmed cases across the NHS Highland area and, while localised outbreaks of infection have been seen, it is mostly individual sporadic Covid cases or small clusters, such as in families, that we are seeing at the moment.

“We are learning and improving our processes for dealing with these cases at every opportunity but I am also making an appeal to everyone to help us in fighting this virus.”

The messages from Public Health Scotland and the Scottish Government are that anyone with symptoms should self-isolate and book a test.

If, after testing, you are confirmed as having Covid you are asked to continue to self-isolate for 10 days, in line with the national guidance.

Anyone identified as a close contact of a confirmed case of Covid should also self-isolate for a period of 14 days. Even if they get tested and it is negative, it is important that they self-isolate for those two weeks.

There is no need to get tested unless you have symptoms, such as new, continuous cough, fever or loss of, or change in, sense of smell or taste, or have been advised to by your local health protection team.

Dr Allison added: “We appreciate that there is local anxiety about Covid but we would appeal to everyone to follow the national guidance.

“Wear a face covering, avoid crowded areas, clean surfaces, keep a two-metre distance – and I would really like to stress the importance of self-isolating and booking a test if you have symptoms.

“Everyone in Highland, Argyll and Bute has a role to play to keep the number of positive cases as low as possible.”


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