Public Health Scotland has reported 7,076 new Covid cases on Christmas Eve – the highest daily total since August 29.
Concerns have been growing in recent weeks about the new more-transmissible Omicron variant fuelling a spike over the festive season.
The latest figures mean Scotland currently has a seven-day average of 5,762.1 cases, which is more than double the 2,596.7 seven-day average on December 1.
Public Health Scotland has warned it has experienced a delay in daily figures in recent days due to the high number of tests being processed by labs.
The most recent figures had a test positivity rate of 14.6%, which has steadily increased from 7.9% on December 1.
There have been 10 deaths of patients with a confirmed Covid diagnosis in the last 24 hours, including one in Aberdeenshire.
What is the local data?
The Christmas Eve figures include 226 new cases in Aberdeen City and a further 225 in Aberdeenshire.
Meanwhile, the Highland Council region has reported 190 new cases and there were 133 in Moray.
The Western Isles reported 17 news cases while there were seven each in both Shetland and Orkney.
Moray continues to have the highest seven-day case rate per 100,000 people in the north and north-east with 633.2 – but is 20th out of the 32 Scottish council areas.
Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Orkney, Highland, Shetland and the Western Isles continue to occupy six of the eight areas with the lowest Covid case numbers per 100,000 people.
Vaccinations continue over festive period
A further 59,241 booster or third doses of Covid vaccine were administered across Scotland on December 23.
It means 63.8% of all over 18s have had their extra jab to protect against Omicron over the Christmas period.
The latest figures mean 62.6% of all over 18s in NHS Grampian have now had boosters while 72.7% have had them in NHS Highland.
NHS Shetland has the highest booster rate in Scotland with 80% of all over 18s getting their third dose while 77% have had their third jab in NHS Western Isles and 77.4% in NHS Orkney.
Meanwhile, a further 2,699 second doses and 1,170 first doses were also injected into arms across Scotland on December 23.
Vaccine centres have been open on Christmas Eve for those wanting to be boosted before the Hogmanay bells.
The venues will be shut on Christmas Day and Boxing Day but will be open again from 10am on Monday, December 27 for more vaccines to be administered.
