The number of people with Covid being treated in NHS Highland hospitals has reached its highest level since February 14.
There are currently 33 patients with coronavirus within the health board’s facilities, an increase of 14 since Sunday and the most since Scotland’s second wave last winter.
However, the number of people being treated in intensive care remains below five – for patient confidentiality reasons, the statistics do not report figures below that level.
Across Scotland, the number of hospital patients with the virus has fallen by 10 since yesterday, though there are three more in the country’s ICUs.
NHS Grampian has not had an increase in either measure, with 61 total patients – a decline of eight since yesterday – and eight in intensive care, the same as Monday and Tuesday.
There were 34 new deaths of people who recently tested positive for Covid across the country in the past 24 hours, with one of them recorded in Aberdeen.
The number of new reported cases has jumped up by almost 1,000 since yesterday, from 2,056 to 3,055 today.
However, the test positivity rate was 6.9%, which is the second-lowest since just after restrictions were eased in the middle of August.
How is the vaccination programme progressing?
Meanwhile, more than 70% of the Scottish population has now had both doses of the coronavirus vaccine, and more than 77% have received their first dose.
That includes almost 28% of children aged between 12 and 15, after vaccination was opened up to that entire age group last month.