Public Health Scotland data reveals that more people are being treated for Covid-19 coronavirus in NHS Highland hospitals than since last April

Click here to sign up to our free newsletters!

THE number of Covid-19 patients in NHS Highland hospitals has reached levels not seen since late April last year, Public Health Scotland data has revealed.

Twenty-seven people were in hospital in the NHS Highland area last night as a result of Covid-19 - and seven were in intensive care.

The last time the region was typically treating 27 or 28 people for the virus it was April 28 last year - although this is below the peak of 49 earlier that month.

However the region has never had more than seven of those patients in intensive care on any one day. And the last time it was as high as seven was April 12.

Meanwhile the latest Covid data from Public Health Scotland has shown that the lockdown is having an impact on coronavirus infections in the Highlands.

The Highland Council area’s coronavirus infection rate in the seven days leading up to January 14 stood at 163.3 cases per 100,000 people - down from 215.8 one week earlier.

There were 385 new infections across the council area in the most recent seven-day period for which data has been released by Public Health Scotland. The week before, this stood at 509.

However, while rates in general have fallen, the likes of Sutherland and Caithness saw their number of new infections increase.

And Ross and Cromarty’s Covid hotspots in the likes of Invergordon and neighbouring Alness continue to record infection rates roughly four to six times that of the Scottish average of 222.5 per 100,000.

Here are the latest seven-day Covid-19 infection rates for your Highland neighbourhoods.

Confirmed cases and infection rate in seven days to January 14

(‘Ward’ names taken from Public Health Scotland’s online Covid map)

INVERNESS

Central, Raigmore and Longman - 24 cases (597.6 infections per 100,000 people)

Westhill - 10 (162.7)

Culloden and Balloch - 8 (202.9)

Lochardil and Holm Mains - 8 (149.9)

Kinmylies and South-West - 6 (146.6)

Slackbuie - 5 (137.4)

Hilton - 5 (131.8)

Inshes - 5 (87.6)

Smithton - 3 (98.5)

Drummond - 3 (86.4)

Muirtown - 3 (80.1)

Ballifeary and Dalneigh - 3 (68.4)

Drakies - 0-2* (between 0 and 87.0*)

Scorguie - 0-2* (between 0 and 68.7*)

Merkinch - 0-2* (between 0 and 58.0*)

Crown and Haugh - 0-2* (between 0 and 44.9*)

INVERNESS ADJACENT

Inverness West Rural - 11 cases (161.7 infections per 100,000 people)

Inverness East Rural - 7 (125.1)

Black Isle South** - 7 (100.8)

Loch Ness - 0-2* (between 0 and 43.2*)

**NB - The Black Isle South ward’s figures are also located in the data for Ross & Cromarty, but we have also included them in this list for Inverness Adjacent wards owing to the Kessock Bridge link.

ROSS AND CROMARTY

Invergordon - 57 cases (1290.8 infections per 100,000 people))

Alness - 48 (813.0)

Tain - 14 (379.3)

Ross and Cromarty Central - 14 (377.1)

Ross and Cromarty East - 13 (398.2)

Seaboard - 12 (273.4)

Conon - 8 (207.4)

Dingwall - 8 (149.6)

Black Isle South - 7 (100.8)

Muir of Ord - 0-2* (between 0 and 56.2*)

Black Isle North - 0-2* (between 0 and 55.6*)

Ross and Cromarty North-West - 0-2* (between 0 and 61.4*)

Ross and Cromarty South-West - 0-2* (between 0 and 66.3*)

Lochalsh - 0-2* (between 0 and 75.2*)

NAIRNSHIRE

Nairn Rural - 15 cases (299.2 cases per 100,000 people)

Nairn East - 0-2* (between 0 and 49.6*)

Nairn West - 0-2* (between 0 and 44.8*)

BADENOCH AND STRATHSPEY

Badenoch and Strathspey South - 5 cases (129 infections per 100,000 people)

Badenoch and Strathspey North - 0-2* (between 0 and 41.7*)

Badenoch and Strathspey Central - 0-2* (between 0 and 37.6*)

SUTHERLAND

Sutherland South - 14 cases (227.6 infections per 100,000 people)

Sutherland North and West - 6 (184.0)

Sutherland East - 0-2* (between 0 and 48.4*)

CAITHNESS

Wick South - 12 cases (350.6 infections per 100,000 people)

Thurso West - 10 (215.8)

Caithness South - 5 (169.1)

Thurso East - 3 (114.8)

Caithness North-East - 4 (113.2)

Caithness North-West - 6 (120.5)

Wick North - 0-2* (between 0 and 62.1*)

LOCHABER

Fort William North - 0-2* cases (between 0 and 43.7* infections per 100,000 people)

Lochaber East and North - 0-2* (between 0 and 42.0*)

Lochaber West (includes Small Isles) - 0-2*(between 0 and 41.6*)

Fort William South - 0-2*(0-35.3*)

SKYE

Skye North-West - 0-2* cases (between 0 and 58.6* infections per 100,000 people)

Skye North-East - 0-2* (between 0 and 56.0*)

Skye South - 0-2* (between 0 and 55.5*)

(* figures for areas with between zero and two cases are suppressed by Public Health Scotland to protect patient anonymity. The infection rate given for these areas is a range based on whether there are zero or two cases).

Related news: 43 new Covid-19 infections across NHS Highland

---

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.

---