Another 11 people have died with coronavirus as the number of hospital patients with the disease continues to rise in Scotland, according to official figures.
There were 985 people being treated in hospital with the virus yesterday, an increase of 16 on the previous day. There are 84 people in intensive care, an increase of eight in 24 hours.
National Clinical Director Jason Leitch said yesterday: “There are people today not only working in intensive care and overwhelmed with new cases but also people with family members in intensive care.”
Daily data released yesterday also shows an increase of 1,433 cases since Friday, a positivity rate of 8.7% of tests carried out.
Again, Greater Glasgow and Clyde saw the highest number of new cases with 524, followed by 321 in Lanarkshire, 174 in Ayrshire and Arran, 166 in Lothian, 71 in Tayside, 58 in Fife and 55 in Forth Valley.
A new walk-through testing centre opened in Inverness yesterday, one of 11 created in Scotland so far, with the Scottish Government aiming to have 22 open over the winter period.
Across the UK there were 23,012 new cases and 174 new deaths reported, with 7,850 patients in hospitals.
Glasgow’s health board said on Friday it was treating more than 500 people in its hospitals.
NHS GGC said there were currently 20 “red wards” only treating patients with Covid-19.
Dr Scott Davidson, deputy medical director for acute services at the health board, said his region was the worst-affected in the country.
He said: “While the numbers of Covid-19 patients may not yet have reached March’s peak levels, there is as much pressure on our staff across services.”
Judith Park, acting director of acute services for NHS Lanarkshire, said: “We are currently treating more than 200 patients with confirmed Covid-19 in our hospitals, which is more patients than at the height of the first wave of the pandemic.”
NHS Tayside, which is treating more than 50 patients with Covid-19, has suspended visiting in wards in Ninewells, Perth Royal Infirmary and the surgical wards in Stracathro to protect patients.
At the peak of the first coronavirus wave on April 20 there were 1,520 Covid patients being treated in hospitals across the country.
Meanwhile, Poland’s president Andrzej Duda, 48, has tested positive for coronavirus. His spokesman, Blazej Spychalski, said on Twitter the president was feeling well.
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