The number of people with Covid being treated in NHS Grampian hospitals has jumped to its highest level since January, increasing by five since Tuesday.
There are currently 91 people in north-east hospitals with coronavirus, the most since 101 were being treated on January 29 – two weeks after the peak of the virus’s second wave.
In the intensive care unit at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, there are seven people with the virus being treated.
This is an increase on the previous day, but the size is unknown as patient numbers below five are not released for confidentiality reasons.
NHS Highland has also recorded its highest number of patients for several months, with the health board’s figure rising to 35.
This is the most since February 13, when there were 36 in Highland hospitals.
In the past 24 hours, the Highlands also recorded a single death of a person who had recently tested positive for Covid.
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Across Scotland there were 20 deaths of people with coronavirus recorded in the past day, with North Lanarkshire and Angus reporting the most – four and three respectively.
The hospital patients figure for the country as a whole was 935, which is the highest it has been since October 10.
Cases reported around Scotland reached 3,495, which is 1,485 more than yesterday, though this jump can be partially attributed to the inclusion of some backlogged test results.
They include 39 new cases in Orkney, which has reported a rising number of cases in recent days.
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There were 29 new Covid cases in the Western Isles, significantly affecting the islands’ care at home service – particularly in the Stornoway and Greater Broadbay area.
Jack Libby, chief social work officer and head of community care at Western Isles Council, said: “We appreciate how upsetting and challenging this can be for service users and their families and the service will resume normal business as soon as possible.
“We would also like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank those family members, friends and neighbours who have already stepped forward and offered to lend a hand.
“This makes a significant difference to the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in our community. It is one of the strengths of our community that at times of need such as this, we come together, supporting one another.”
‘Ca canny and remember to take precautions’
Addressing the rising Covid case and hospital numbers in the north-east, Aberdeen Central MSP Kevin Stewart said everyone in the area should work to get the figures to reduce again.
He said: “As we’ve seen from today’s statistics, we all need to take this moment to ca canny and remember to take some basic precautions to protect ourselves and our friends and family.
“Simple things such as mask wearing, hand washing and keeping a safe distance where possible will be crucial as we see out this recent rise and as we approach the winter months.
“Our NHS is under incredible pressure, but we can all play a part in easing the burden by following these basic measures – most of us are enjoying a much more normal way of life now, so let’s continue to take these very simple steps to support our NHS.”