NHS Highland warn COVID-19 peak is yet to come
The region had a record number for daily coronavirus cases on Tuesday
The Highland health board are warning the current wave of coronavirus is the biggest one so far, with the impact of the virus being felt across the region.
NHS Highland had 883 new cases of COVID-19 on December 28th, which is more than double the previous highest daily figure.
From December 22nd to December 28th, 2889 new cases were recorded by the health board, almost double of the previous week's total.
They say wards are having to close due to positive cases amongst patients and staff, and almost half of their care homes are currently closed due to cases.
Appeal for "caution and care" during New Year Celebrations
Across Scotland, nearly 16,000 new cases were identified on December 28th.
NHS Highland Medical Director Dr Boyd Peters is appealing for caution this Hogmanay.
He said: "Feedback from our Contact Tracers tells us that social gatherings and travel are having the biggest impact on case numbers in our area.
"We have already seen an increase in the area which we believe is linked to people travelling for Christmas and we are expecting the same to happen as people travel and meet up for New Year.
“The threat and impact of COVID remains a significant concern as modelling tells us a big increase in community infections now will cause serious issues in late January, both for individual patients and for the staffing of services.
"Our health and care system is fragile, the loss of staff to this variant through testing positive or the need to isolate has a huge impact on our ability to deliver the services needed across our patch and this is already a challenge.
"We recognise the desire for people to celebrate with family and friends at this time of year but we are appealing for caution and care during the New Year celebrations."