The cumulative total of positive cases in Orkney has now increased to 60.
The stats for Scotland on 26th January 2021 are as follows
- 1,049 new cases of COVID-19 reported
- 13,819 new tests for COVID-19 that reported results – 9.0% of these were positive
- 87 new reported death(s) of people who have tested positive
- 149 people are in intensive care with recently confirmed COVID-19
- 2,010 people are in hospital with recently confirmed COVID-19
- 437,900 people have received the first dose of the Covid vaccination and 6,060 have received their second dose
This is an extremely concerning consistent rise in cases of Covid in Orkney since the festive period.
The way to limit the spread of the virus is to follow FACTS.
- wear a face covering
- avoid crowded places
- clean hands and surfaces regularly
- stay 2m away from other people
- self-isolate and book a test if you have COVID-19 symptoms (new continuous cough, fever or loss of, or change in, sense of smell or taste)
- download the Protect Scotland contact tracing app
NHS Orkney is doing a great job at administering the first dose of the vaccine. This is no time to relax what we are doing but to be ever more careful. Whilst the first dose of the vaccine gives some protection , 2 doses are required for fuller protection.
And even after being vaccinated people still must remember to observe FACTS and if possible download the free NHS Scotland App.
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Could the media (The Orkney News perhaps) please start questioning the government why they continue to publish a misleading positivity rate? They relate the number of positive results to the number of tests conducted. It may well be that 13,819 tests were conducted, however, if you compare the daily change in number of tested persons (which I have done since reporting began) the numbers look more realistic and are more meaningful.
4,577 people (not much!) were tested over the last 24 hours. If 1,049 of these were positive, the true positivity rate is rather in the region of 22.9%. This basically means that almost a quarter of the persons who got a test (most likely only symptomatic ones), turned out to be positive.
It is everyone’s guess, how the numbers would be if potential asymptomatic carriers would have a chance to get a test. Sending them just in isolation but not routinely testing contacts of identified cases, whether they have symptoms or not, may not be the ideal approach to finally ‘control’ the situation.
Can it be that the government is keeping the NHS busy mainly with administering the vaccines? Vaccines may offer hope, but the botched, untested and by no scientific evidence whatsoever supported approach of delaying the important second doses beyond manufacturers’ recommendations may simply not justify a priorisation of vaccine delivery over testing. Both has to happen simultaneously.