New COVID case recorded as mass testing continues

One new case of COVID-19 has been recorded in Orkney in the last 24 hours.

The total number of cases attributed to the county since the pandemic began now stands at 86 — as mass testing continues in a determined effort to quell potential community transmission of the virus.

Over 1,000 have been tested for the virus this week in the wake of fears of an outbreak linked to pubs in Kirkwall.

Anyone who has visited a pub since June 14 is being urged to self-isolate and seek a PCR test.

NHS Orkney has confirmed that the more infectious delta variant of the virus has been identified within the recent cluster.

A mobile testing unit has arrived in the county and is now set up at KGS for asymptomatic folk who believe they may have come into contact with the virus, and is open from 11am to 3pm over the weekend.

Testing also continues at the COVID Assessment Centre located within the old Balfour Hospital, and is focusing on anyone who is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. You can call the centre on 888211 between 8am until 12pm on Sunday.

NHS Orkney’s interim chief executive Michael Dickson expects the number of positive cases attributed to Orkney to rise in the coming days, as tests results filter through.

By the end of the weekend, it is hoped that a clearer picture of the situation will emerge and health chiefs will be able to assess whether the cluster has been successfully contained.

Further information is available via the NHS Orkney Facebook page.