Almost 60 Covid-19 cases detected in and around Inverness in seven days up to Boxing Day; Public Health Scotland map also shows council area's infection rate climbed to 56.4 cases per 100,000 people – the region's highest confirmed level in the entire coronavirus pandemic
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THE confirmed Covid-19 infection rate across Highland Council has climbed to its highest level since the start of the pandemic, Public Health Scotland figures have revealed.
The council area’s coronavirus rate climbed to 56.4 confirmed infections per 100,000 people in the seven days leading up to Boxing Day – the date for which the most recent figures have been released.
To put that into context, Public Health Scotland’s Covid-19 map website has typically shown rates of between 15 and 25 cases per 100,000 across Highland Council in recent months.
And, at the end of November, the rate was as low as 12.3 per 100,000 – before its December surge.
What’s more, with authorities and health experts expecting case numbers to increase nationally in the wake of Christmas Day gatherings, there are fears the current rate could climb still further.
The council-wide figure comes as at least 59 confirmed cases were reported across Inverness and its immediate area alone.
In the seven days leading up to Boxing Day, there were 133 cases across the Highland Council area, with 59 in wards within – or bordering – the Highland capital.
And, with figures suppressed in wards with between zero and two infections – in order to protect patient anonymity – the real figure could be as high as 77.
The shock figures come less than 24 hours after NHS Highland warned the public to stick to coronavirus rules, after it saw confirmed case numbers “treble” in the space of a few days.
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