Thursday 28 March 2024
 6.9°C   NE Moderate Breeze
Ocean Kinetics - The Engineering Experts

Coronavirus / Fourteen more Covid cases recorded

ANOTHER 14 cases of Covid-19 have been recorded in Shetland in the last 24 hours.

This brings the current total number of cases in the current outbreak to 72.

NHS Shetland’s consultant in public health Dr Susan Laidlaw said hopefully the community had kept itself safe and stayed at home for New Year which should have an impact on the infection rate.

However, she said what remains concerning is that many of the positive cases are not presenting with symptoms, which means they have unknowingly moved around the community while infectious.

“We are hearing people say that they have had a new cough but didn’t get a test because they didn’t think it was a ‘Covid’ cough,” Dr Laidlaw said.

“Any new continuous cough should be a prompt to get a test, along with a high temperature or loss/change in taste or smell.”

She said that anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms but none of the Covid symptoms should stay at home.

“And, if you go on to develop one of the main Covid symptoms then book a test.

“We are still fighting back a wave of infections. The simplest guidance at the moment is to stay at home with your own household as far as possible and avoid meeting others as much as you can.

“If you do come into contact with others then remember FACTS.”

The majority of the infections occurred before and during the Christmas weekend when Shetland was still in level one and rules were relaxed to allow for limited socialising.

“While many people will recover from Covid, we know that it makes others very unwell and that some have long term effects, and sadly a small number do die,” Dr Laidlaw said.

“We cannot be complacent. The only way to get on top of this while we wait patiently for the rollout of the vaccination programme is for our community to work together.

Become a supporter of Shetland News

 

“Looking after each other now means physically keeping away from each other, but staying in touch by phone and video calls.”

Dr Laidlaw said that those who are isolating because they are positive, or a contact of someone who is positive, would often receive an automatically generated text messages telling them how long to isolate.

“For cases this will depend on when their symptoms started (or when they had a test if not symptoms) and for contacts it will depend on when they last had contact with an infectious person.

“However, there are a number of people who are contacts of several others on different dates which means that they may get conflicting text messages.

“Please, always go by the latest date. So, if you get texts saying your isolation ends on January 6 and January 8, go with January 8.”

Become a supporter of Shetland News

Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider start paying for their dose of the latest local news delivered straight to their PC, tablet or mobile phone.

Journalism comes at a price and because that price is not being paid in today’s rapidly changing media world, most publishers - national and local - struggle financially despite very healthy audience figures.

Most online publishers have started charging for access to their websites, others have chosen a different route. Shetland News currently has  over 600 supporters  who are all making small voluntary financial contributions. All funds go towards covering our cost and improving the service further.

Your contribution will ensure Shetland News can: -

  • Bring you the headlines as they happen;
  • Stay editorially independent;
  • Give a voice to the community;
  • Grow site traffic further;
  • Research and publish more in-depth news, including more Shetland Lives features.

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a supporter of Shetland News by either making a single payment or monthly subscription.

Support us from as little as £3 per month – it only takes a minute to sign up. Thank you.

 

Newsletters

Subscribe to a selection of different newsletters from Shetland News, varying from breaking news delivered on the minute, to a weekly round-up of the opinion posts. All delivered straight to your inbox.

Daily Briefing Newsletter Weekly Highlights Newsletter Opinion Newsletter Life in Shetland Newsletter

JavaScript Required

We're sorry, but Shetland News isn't fully functional without JavaScript enabled.
Head over to the help page for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

Your Privacy

We use cookies on our site to improve your experience.
By using our service, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

Browser is out-of-date

Shetland News isn't fully functional with this version of .
Head over to the help page for instructions on updating your browser for more security, improved speed and the best overall experience on this site.

Interested in Notifications?

Get notifications from Shetland News for important and breaking news.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Become a supporter of Shetland News

We're committed to ensuring everyone has equitable access to impartial, open and quality local journalism that benefits all residents.

By supporting Shetland News, you play a vital role in ensuring we remain a pivotal resource in supporting the community.

Support us from as little as £3 per month – it only takes a minute to sign up. Thank you.