The cumulative total of Covid cases in Orkney is now at 5,774 .
From 18th to 24th of June there were 108 new Covid cases reported in Orkney with a positivity rate of 482.1 per 100,000 (Scottish average rate 321.6 per 100,000)
- West Mainland: 26 – positivity rate 606.8
- Stromness, Stenness & Sandwick: 14 – positivity rate 434.1
- East Mainland: 30 – positivity rate 649.5
- Isles: 11 – positivity rate 259.1
With much less testing going on the true rate of infection is most likely higher.
Shetland now has the highest rate of infection in Scotland (489.7 per 100,000) with Orkney coming in second place.
The stats for Scotland published on 29th of June 2022 on the PHS website are as follows:
These figures are published weekly and no longer contain stats for covid related deaths. That information is published on Thursday’s by NRS.
On 20th of June the World Health Organisation (WHO) issued a statement concerned about “the perception that the pandemic is over” which WHO said “is understandable, but misguided.”
“Transmission is increasing in many countries…and this is despite the fact that testing and sequencing have dropped markedly around the world.
And 40% of the world’s population remains unvaccinated.
The risk of a new and more dangerous variant emerging remains very real.
WHO remains very concerned that the lack of testing and sequencing is blinding us to the evolution of the virus.
We are equally concerned that the lessons of this pandemic will go unlearned, and the cycle of panic and neglect will be repeated.”
- get your vaccine when offered to ensure you are fully protected
- stay at home if you’re unwell with symptoms or have a fever
- open windows when socialising indoors
- wear a face covering in indoor public places and on public transport
- wash your hands to protect yourself
Care for yourself and others to help slow down the spread of the virus and reduce pressure on our health services.
Categories: Local News
A bit early yet for the spike in cases from the St. Magnus Festival – but there will be one – sure as eggs is eggs.
And, as Fiona says in this article… “With much less testing going on the true rate of infection is most likely higher.”
Remember that each one of these is a person – some of whom will have had no symptoms, some will have had mild symptoms, some will have had serious symptoms and felt terrible – are still feeling terrible.
How many needed time off work – putting pressure on their work mates?
Until the public have a total mind-shift about Covid this is the situation we will be in.
When will this mind shift finally arrive?
Will it arrive when we experience the long term consequences of too many infections – and reinfections! – in terms of economic and societal burden… on the NHS, the economy and so forth?
Is this burden really what we need on top of cost of living crises, political instability, environmental health…?
Is it sensible to head for an autumn/winter with a much higher burden of infections than in the last summers when we know that public health will already suffer because people may not be able to afford healthy surroundings? On a population level: how many will be able to afford sufficient and healthy food? How many will be able to heat their homes appropriately? How many will experience mould in insufficiently heated homes? Coping with infectious diseases is much harder in crisis situations. Why do diseases spread like wildfire where living conditions are not ideal? Chronic conditions may already be aggravated by problematic living conditions. And all this is adding further burdens and pressures.
Unless the government (and/or the public?) has embarked on a survival of the fittest strategy, letting the virus roam freely simply kicks the can down the road and unnecessarily prolongs hardship and economic problems. In my opinion this strategy can even act as an amplifier.
That a cavalier approach is a dangerous gamble, could be derived from a recent study (preprint): https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-1749502/v1
The keyword here is ‘prevention’!
‘The evidence suggests that for people who already had a first infection, prevention of a second infection may protect from additional health risks. Prevention of infection and reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 should continue to be the goal of public health policy.’
I have wondered if it’s a conscious ‘survival of the fittest’ strategy – winnow out the old and less able – or in a way more worrying – no strategy at all.
As to living conditions exacerbating the spread of disease – 19th Century London…cholera. We don’t learn, and in many ways we’re heading back to those times.