Seventeen fresh coronavirus cases confirmed in NHS Highland area; rise to 259 means it no longer has lowest number of confirmed Covid-19 cases on mainland Scotland; Dumfries and Galloway has 249 cases

THE NHS Highland area no longer has the lowest number of confirmed coronavirus cases on mainland Scotland after 17 new diagnoses of Covid-19 overnight.

There are now 259 confirmed cases in the NHS Highland area, 10 more than Dumfries and Galloway.

However, the number of people being treated for the virus in NHS Highland hospitals fell again to 34 last night – down from 42 the previous day.

The new figures come as 301 fresh cases of the virus were confirmed in Scotland. There have now been 11,654 confirmed diagnoses since the outbreak began ­– although the true figure is believed to be much higher.

A further 40 people who tested positive have sadly died across Scotland, taking the toll to 1515.

The number of people receiving treatment in Scottish hospitals with confirmed or suspected Covid-19 also increased slightly since yesterday – up 61 to 1809 from 1748.

But the number of those in intensive care remained almost the same, up just one to 110 overnight.

Elsewhere in the north of Scotland, there were once again no new confirmed cases of the virus on Orkney, Shetland or Eileanan Siar.

NHS Grampian reported a further 32 cases, to take its total to 866 since the start of the outbreak. There was a sharp rise in the number of confirmed or suspected cases being treated in its hospitals, rising from 119 to 187 since yesterday. The number in intensive care also rose three to 113.

There were 30 freshly-confirmed cases of the virus in the NHS Tayside region, taking its total number to 1379, although patient numbers fell to 86 from 95 and fewer than five people were in intensive care.

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