Coronavirus / Thirteen new Covid cases
A number of footballers are also understood to have been told to self-isolate after fist-bumping a player who later tested positive
A FURTHER 13 cases of Covid in Shetland have been confirmed in today’s (Thursday) Scottish Government update.
NHS Shetland said all had already been identified as contacts of existing cases.
It comes after nine were reported on Wednesday, and eight on Tuesday.
Around 50 positive tests have been recorded in Shetland since the start of July.
NHS Shetland said the increase is not unexpected because “we are finding that people are tending to have more contacts on average than previously, and we do ask every contact to be tested”.
The health board is still finding most of these people have developed very mild/cold like symptoms or have no symptoms, but have been asked to get tested. The number of contacts is rising all the time, and often people are a contact of more than one case.
Meanwhile it is understood a number of footballers in Monday’s Delting v Scalloway match were told to self-isolate after “fist bumping” a player who later tested positive.
They were told to isolate because, due to national guidance, their fist bumps with the affected player deemed them to be close contacts.
The team have been told though that the isolation requirement may be reversed if they return negative PCR tests, which will be offered to all players.
NHS Shetland interim director of public health Dr Susan Laidlaw told Shetland News this week that the general rise in cases recently is likely to be linked to a “natural lag” behind a spike in positive tests across Scotland.
She said on Thursday: “Remember that the more people you come into contact with, especially when not distancing or wearing a mask, then the more chance you have of picking up Covid-19 and spreading it to other people.
“Most of the people affected now have mild symptoms, if any; but we still need to protect the people who are most vulnerable to the serious effects of Covid-19. That includes those who may not yet be vaccinated such as children, those who cannot have the vaccination and those for whom the vaccination does not work so well.
“Please try to take care to reduce the risk of spread within the community as much as you can.”
At present if someone tests positive, they must self-isolate for 10 days.
All of the people that they have been in close contact with during their 48 hours infectious period will also have to self-isolate for 10 days after that contact.
Close contact includes staying in the same household, face to face contact, being near to someone (less than two metres for 15 mins or more in total), and any ‘skin to skin’ contact, however short.
Dr Laidlaw added: “Be especially careful if you are travelling south where Covid-19 rates are generally still higher than locally.
“If you are going south, please think about what you would do if you became symptomatic or were identified as a contact and had to isolate. You still cannot travel back to Shetland on public transport (plane or ferry) if you are required isolate because you have symptoms, have tested positive or have been traced as a contact.”
NHS Shetland also reminded people to keep to level zero rules.
Meanwhile nearly 85 per cent of adults in Shetland are now double vaccinated.
Across Scotland a further 2,086 cases have been included in today’s update.
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