Regional Breakdown: Two week high in Grampian’s case numbers as one further death recorded in Aberdeenshire

NHS Grampian recorded its highest number of cases in a fortnight today, with 30 reported in the last 24 hours.

Scotland as a whole recorded its highest daily number of new cases, with the total of 691 higher than any other day since February 25.

However, the country’s test positivity rate remains below the 5% threshold used to determine whether the virus spread is under control, with today’s figure at 3.1%.

It comes as national clinical director Jason Leitch told Good Morning Scotland there is “potential” for the levels-based system to be brought back in before the end of April if transmission levels remain low.

NHS Highland recorded 15 new cases of the virus, bringing its total over the past seven days to 104.

The figures, published daily by the Scottish Government, show that one person in Aberdeenshire has died from the virus in the last 24 hours.

There are 16 patients with Covid-19 in NHS Grampian hospitals at the moment, which is the same number as yesterday.

NHS Highland hospitals are also currently treating 16 Covid patients.

Coronavirus in Scotland – track the spread in these charts and maps

There was one new case recorded in the Western Isles, while Shetland and Orkney did not record any.

Shetland has now gone a full month without recording any new cases of the coronavirus – the islands’ health board has said the case recorded in official statistics on March 4 was incorrectly assigned, and the last one to be confirmed was reported on February 9.

Across Scotland, 582 people are currently being treated in hospital with Covid-19, of whom 50 are in intensive care.

All health boards in the north, north-east and the islands are treating fewer than five patients in intensive care, if any. Five is the lowest number recorded in the official statistics.

In the past 24 hours, there were 20 new recorded deaths of people who had previously tested positive for the virus.

The vaccination programme continues across the country, with 19,781 people being given their first dose and 9,074 people – the highest daily total so far – being given their second.

This brings the total number of people who have been given their first dose to 1,809,158, almost a third of the Scottish population, and the total who have had their second dose to 132,760.

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