NHS Highland has reported its highest number of coronavirus hospital patients since the start of the pandemic.
According to the latest data, there are currently 62 patients being treated by the health board.
NHS Highland confirmed there had been Covid outbreaks in hospitals and care homes, with colleagues affected as well as patients and care home residents.
In Grampian, there are 92 people with Covid in hospital – an increase of five overnight.
While hospital admissions have been gradually rising over the past week, today’s figure of 1,267 is five fewer than yesterday.
The number of coronavirus patients in intensive care has remained at 16.
A further 24 deaths of people who had tested positive for the virus have been confirmed, with two in the Grampian region.
Nearly 10,000 new cases in Scotland
Across the country, a further 9,551 new cases have been reported, including 891 reinfections.
A total of 4,400 were identified with a PCR test and 4,739 cases were confirmed with a lateral flow test only.
NHS Orkney remains the health board with the highest seven day case rate in Scotland, rising to 1,982.1 per 100,000 people.
A further 75 cases have been confirmed in Orkney.
NHS Grampian has reported more than 1,000 new cases in the past 24 hours.
There are 335 new cases in Aberdeen City, 500 in Aberdeenshire and 171 in Moray, totaling 1,006.
NHS Highland has reported 669 new cases, including 192 in Argyll and Bute.
Yesterday, the health board released a statement urging people to remain cautious as cases increase.
Dr Tim Allison, director of public health for NHS Highland, said: “Covid is a risk to people’s health, not only directly, but also through the indirect pressure it puts on other services.
“Reducing transmission is still absolutely vital to allow us to care for people across all NHS Highland services.”
Meanwhile, NHS Shetland has reported an additional 44 cases and NHS Western Isles has confirmed 99.
Vaccine roll-out
The number of people to have received a third dose or booster has risen to 3,443,616.
The latest data shows 4,437,559 people have now received their first dose of the Covid vaccine, while 4,160,391 have also had their second.
