NHS Orkney continues to vaccinate against both Flu and Covid, recognising both can be serious, even for healthy people.

If you are eligible for vaccination and have missed your appointment, or you are a household contact or carer and haven’t yet had your vaccine, please come along to one of the drop-in clinics at The Balfour below:

• Monday 11 March 10am – 12pm
• Monday 18 March 10am – 12pm
• Monday 25 March 10am – 12pm

If you require more information regarding your eligibility please call the team on 0300 303 5313, or visit: NHS Inform Winter Vaccines.

During the current winter 2023/24 vaccination programme a total of 1,649,891 Influenza (Adult 18+), 538,653 Influenza (Children 6 months to 17 years) and 1,390,390 vaccines have been administered to the Scottish population since 04 September 2023. – Public Health Scotland 7th March 2024

Covid

The number of acute COVID-19 admissions to hospital for the week ending 3rd March 2024 was 98, slightly up from 91 the previous week.

Health Board of Treatment	18 Feb 24	25 Feb 24	3 Mar 24
NHS Ayrshire and Arran	7	3	7
NHS Borders	1	2	1
NHS Dumfries and Galloway	1	3	0
NHS Fife	14	4	10
NHS Forth Valley	10	7	6
NHS Grampian	7	8	4
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde	30	26	25
NHS Highland	3	5	5
NHS Lanarkshire	12	8	12
NHS Lothian	13	19	9
NHS Orkney	0	1	1
NHS Shetland	1	0	0
NHS Tayside	21	5	17
NHS Western Isles	1	0	1
Golden Jubilee National Hospital	0	0	0
Scotland	121	91	98

Over the same period the number of inpatients with COVID-19 in hospital (seven day average) was 137, down from 149 the previous week.

Health Board of Treatment	18 Feb 24	25 Feb 24	3 Mar 24
NHS Ayrshire and Arran	13	12	12
NHS Borders	2	1	1
NHS Dumfries and Galloway	2	2	2
NHS Fife	8	7	6
NHS Forth Valley	12	9	9
NHS Grampian	13	12	13
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde	54	27	32
NHS Highland	9	18	12
NHS Lanarkshire	24	17	19
NHS Lothian	29	26	19
NHS Orkney	0	0	1
NHS Shetland	0	0	0
NHS Tayside	14	16	12
NHS Western Isles	1	1	0
Golden Jubilee National Hospital	0	0	0
Scotland	182	149	137

Waste Water monitoring for fragments of coronavirus’ ribonucleic acid (RNA)

The latest published data for Orkney is 21st Feb 2024.

Weekly deaths registered in Scotland – National Records of Scotland

The provisional total number of deaths registered in Scotland in week 9 of 2024 (26th February to 3rd March) was 1,193 (126 or 10% lower than the expected number of deaths in week 9). There were 22 deaths mentioning COVID-19

Those figures in more detail

Deaths Involving Covid

• Age 45 – 64: 4 deaths, 1 female, 3 male
• Age 65 – 74: 2 deaths, 1 female, 1 male
• Age 75 – 84: 9 deaths, 5 female, 4 male
• Age 85+: 7 deaths, 2 female, 5 male

Three deaths took place in Care Homes: 2 at Home/Non Institutional Setting; and 17 in Hospital.

There were 22 deaths involving Covid, Covid was the main cause in 14 of them. Since the start of the pandemic there have been 18,700 deaths involving Covid in Scotland. Covid was the main cause in 14,719.

There were 1,193 deaths due to all causes for the week ending 3rd March 2024.

Fiona Grahame