A sick coronavirus patient has been flown to hospital from the tiny isle of Barra – the fifth emergency airlift since a cluster broke out on the Outer Hebridean island.
A coastguard helicopter took the person to the Western Isles Hospital in Stornoway on Saturday.
There are now 48 people who have tested positive with Covid-19 on Barra.
Barra and Vatersay, which are joined by a causeway, have been moved into level four lockdown with more than 160 individuals self isolating – or around 13% of the local population.
A single new case reported on Saturday is a contact of a previous case.
Gordon Jamieson, chief executive of NHS Western Isles, said of the latest emergency airlift from Barra:”Our thoughts are with the patient and their family.”
He stressed: “The message for the wider public is please do not get complacent.
“Please continue to follow the rules.”
The Western Isles total this month of positive coronavirus cases stands at 57. The majority are associated with the Barra outbreak. Three people in South Uist have the virus while in Benbecula a group of five is infected. One person in the Stornoway also has the disease.
Since the start of the pandemic 137 people across the Western Isles have tested positive.
On Thursday, Lewis Sports Centre held the island’s first Covid mass vaccination clinic.
About 460 people were invited to attend appointments at the centre, with residents aged over 75 and health and social care staff all in attendance.
