Health authorities have still to officially confirm the presence of Covid-19 on Skye – though the Free Press has been made aware of at least one definite case on the island.
As of Friday 10th April, there were a total of 144 confirmed cases in the NHS Highland area, but the health board have not released any further details on where the cases originate.
Amid fears that some people might still consider rural areas to be isolated and virus free, there have been calls for greater clarity on where cases are. In the Western Isles the health board has not given details of villages or districts, but has confirmed all five coronavirus cases in the region are in Lewis.
There are some who say a similar approach should apply in NHS Highland – an area which stretches all the way from John O’ Groats to the Mull of Kintyre.
In Skye, the Free Press has learned of one confirmed case which had followed a local hospital admission on 20th March.
A test conducted at some point in the week beginning 23rd March showed a positive test – and the individual, due to the nature of their employment, moved to inform colleagues and others of their condition.
This information was passed on to the Free Press this week, though in order to protect patient confidentiality the paper will not any make public further details.
A spokesperson for NHS Highland said: “We are following national guidance and due to reasons of patient confidentiality we will not make public where in Highland the positive cases are.
“The number of confirmed cases, broken down by health board area, is issued daily by the Scottish Government each day at 2 pm. The number of cases fluctuates each day across the NHSH geography, to ensure you get up to date and accurate figures please check the Scottish Government information.”
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