NHS Highland area reports 152 new positive tests for Covid-19 since Christmas Eve; new figures take region's total above 2000

MORE than 2000 people have now tested positive for Covid-19 across NHS Highland since the start of the pandemic – after 152 new positive tests were added over the five-day Christmas period.

The Scottish Government's daily health board area updates were temporarily suspended after Christmas Eve, but resumed on Tuesday following the festive break.

And they revealed that the cumulative number of infections detected across the NHS Highland region since the start of the pandemic has risen from 1872 on Christmas Eve, to 2024 now.

The breakdown of the figures over the festive break included daily increases of 34 on Christmas Day, 42 on Boxing Day, 25 on December 27, another 27 on Monday and a further 34 today.

Meanwhile, there were 1895 new positive tests across the whole of Scotland in the past 24 hours.

Some 1092 people were receiving treatment in hospital for the virus last night, with 65 of those in intensive care.

And, sadly, a further seven people who tested positive have since died.

In other north of Scotland health board areas, the Christmas surge in cases in NHS Shetland continued, with a further 14 cases added overnight, to take its overall total above 100 to 105. The archipelago had reported just 80 confirmed cases in the nine months up to Christmas Eve. The new cluster, which has been branded the worst in Shetland since March, has sparked fears that it could join all of mainland Scotland in level four coronavirus restrictions.

Elsewhere, NHS Eileanan Siar added just two new infections since Christmas Eve, while NHS Orkney detected one over the same period.

NHS Grampian reported 562 positive tests since the last update on Christmas Eve, to take its overall total to 7426.

And NHS Tayside detected 475 confirmed cases, for a cumulative tally of 7934.

Scotland has now reported 122,786 positive tests for Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic - an increase of 5916 since December 24.

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