Coronavirus / Covid numbers remain relatively low
SHETLAND appears to be escaping to the latest spike in Covid cases currently hitting other island communities.
With six new cases confirmed over the weekend (the last 48 hours), the local seven day incidence rate sits at 153/100,000 population, half the national average and four times lower than in Orkney and the Western Isles.
Orkney has had 132 cases during the last seven days (589.3/100,000 pop) while the Western Isles recorded 162 new cases over a seven-day period (611.3/100,000 pop).
NHS Orkney’s interim chief executive Michael Dickson, who is also NHS Shetland’s chief executive, has previously said that there was no single event to explain the very high number of cases in Orkney.
Meanwhile, NHS Shetland continues its vaccination programme and will soon begin phoning people aged 60-69 and younger people in risk groups to offer covid booster and flu vaccination appointments.
Nearly everyone will be offered the Pfizer vaccine as a booster unless there is a medical reason. Those who had the AstraZeneca vaccine for their first dose and have not yet had a second dose will receive AstraZeneca.
The health board added: “If you are aged 70 or over, and registered with the Lerwick, Brae, Levenwick or Scalloway GP practices only and have not yet been offered an appointment for your covid booster and /or flu vaccine, please call 01595 743319 or email shet.vaccination-team@nhs.scot
“If you are registered with any of the other practices, then you will be called by your own practice. If you, or your child, is aged 12-15 and has not yet been offered an appointment for a covid vaccine, please call 01595 743319 or email shet.vaccination-team@nhs.scot
“If you are aged 16 or over and have not yet had your first covid vaccine, or you are now eligible for your second dose, please call 01595 743319 or email shet.vaccination-team@nhs.scot
“Even if you declined before, or think that you can’t have the vaccine for any reason, or are anxious about it, please contact us.”
Information on the various vaccines can be found at:
http://www.nhsinform.scot/…/coronavirus-vaccine-leaflets and: http://www.nhsinform.scot/…/leafle…/flu-vaccine-leaflets
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