NHS figures show thousands of Covid tests carried out

Over 7,000 coronavirus tests have been carried out in the isles since the beginning of June, of which over 1,400 have been done in October alone.

That is according to figures in an updated report released by NHS Shetland.

Eight cases of coronavirus were reported in the isles during October.

The board has shown a strong result in contact tracing, with 90.2 per cent of contacts traced and told to isolate.

The total number of contacts associated with last month’s cases runs to 51.

The Covid-19 update states 7,303 tests were carried out between 1st June and 31st October, with the figure for October alone standing at 1,436.

The report shows a large spike in the number of self referrals for children and young people during September – shortly after the beginning of the new school term.

Almost 120 youngsters aged up to nine were referred for tests – around double the figure for August – itself high compared to other months.