The cumulative total of Covid cases in Orkney is now at 4,893.
The stats for Scotland published on 8th April 2022 are as follows:
- 6,215 new cases of COVID-19 reported
- 35 new reported deaths of people who have tested positive
- 23 people were in intensive care yesterday with recently confirmed COVID-19
- 2,252 people were in hospital yesterday with recently confirmed COVID-19
- 4,369,103 people have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccination, 4,097,075 have received their second dose, and have 3,457,690 received a third dose or booster
The Office of National Statistics reports that in the week ending 3 April 2022 1 in 13 people in Scotland had Covid-19, 1 in 13 in England, 1 in 13 in Wales, and 1 in 16 in Northern Ireland.
For that same week the Omicron BA.2 variant remained the dominant variant across all UK countries; the percentage of people with infections compatible with the Omicron BA.2 variant remained high in England and continued to increase in Wales, however the trend was uncertain in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Long Covid
There are no truly accurate figures on how many people are now suffering from long covid. Over 1.7 million people living in private households in the UK currently have self reported long covid symptoms. 132,000 people living in Scotland are self reporting long Covid symptoms. 64% of those people stated that it had affected their day to day lives severely limiting what they could do.
Fatigue is the most common symptom reported.
As a proportion of the UK population, prevalence of self-reported long COVID was greatest in people aged 35 to 69 years, females, people living in more deprived areas, those working in health care, social care, or teaching and education (which saw the biggest month-on-month increase out of all employment sectors), and those with another activity-limiting health condition or disability.
Prevalence of ongoing symptoms following coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in the UK : 6 January 2022
Symptoms of long COVID
There are lots of symptoms you can have after a COVID-19 infection.
Common long COVID symptoms include:
- extreme tiredness (fatigue)
- shortness of breath
- chest pain or tightness
- problems with memory and concentration (“brain fog”)
- difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
- heart palpitations
- dizziness
- pins and needles
- joint pain
- depression and anxiety
- tinnitus, earaches
- feeling sick, diarrhoea, stomach aches, loss of appetite
- a high temperature, cough, headaches, sore throat, changes to sense of smell or taste
- rashes
This is going to have a serious impact on public health for many months, perhaps years to come. Many of these people were triple vaccinated and had no previous health issues.
It is important to limit the onward transmission of Covid-19 by:
- get the vaccine or the vaccine booster
- if you don’t have symptoms take lateral flow tests twice a week, and if visiting someone vulnerable or going to a crowded place
- if you have symptoms – self isolate and book a PCR test
- you must wear a face covering (unless exempt) in most indoor public spaces and on public transport
- open windows when meeting indoors
- wash your hands regularly, and cover your nose and mouth if coughing or sneezing
- work from home as well as the office if you can – businesses and workplaces should follow the safer workplace guidance
- use the apps: COVID status (vaccine passport) and Protect Scotland
