Covid-19 boosters are being rolled out across the country, however people are still being asked to exercise caution around coronavirus, as case numbers remain high.
Covid case rates in the north and north-east have fallen this week compared to the previous week. However, as winter approaches and with the discovery of the new Covid variant Omicron, caution is being urged.
Our interactive maps below show the case rate by intermediate zone for Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Highland and Moray. The islands have not been included as case numbers tend to be very low and are often suppressed as a result.
Each intermediate zone (IZ), represents an area, quite often a neighbourhood, within each local authority.
Hovering over each area will give additional information including the population of each neighbourhood, how many positive cases have been recorded there in the past seven days, and the seven-day case rate per 100,000 population – a measure which is used to compare areas with different populations against each other to accurately track the spread of the virus.
Below includes details for case rates accurate as of November 29, which was the latest information at the time of writing, as this data is subject to a three-day lag in being uploaded by Public Health Scotland.
We have compared case rates to the previous seven-day period to provide context about whether cases are rising or falling in your area.
What are case rates like in Aberdeen?
Although case rates in Aberdeen remain quite high, all areas are currently under a seven day case rate of 1,000 per 100,000 population – unlike other areas of Scotland.
The area with the highest seven day case rate per 100,000 population in Aberdeen on November 29, is Bucksburn South with a case rate of 874.83.
This is followed by Kincorth, Leggart and Nigg South with a case rate of 788.64 and Kincorth, Leggart and Nigg North, with a case rate of 787.2, both per 100,000 population.
These are all below the previous week’s highest seven day case rate in Aberdeen, in Dyce, which was 895.75 per 100,000 population.
The case rate in Dyce has fallen to 590.81, now the seventh highest of Aberdeen’s 49 neighbourhoods.
In the latest seven day period, Bucksburn South recorded 39 positive Covid-19 cases out of a population of 4458, Kincorth, Leggart and Nigg South saw 40 out of a population of 5072 and Kincorth, Leggart and Nigg North had 31 positive Covid-19 cases in a population of 3938.
What are case rates like in Aberdeenshire?
Like in Aberdeen, cases in Aberdeenshire are high, but not as high as some other areas of Scotland.
The three highest seven day case rates in Aberdeenshire were recorded in Ellon West, Ellon East and Ythanside respectively.
Ellon West had a seven day case rate per 100,000 population of 924.77, followed by Ellon East at 704.23 and Ythanside with 625.81.
Ellon West saw 37 positive Covid-19 tests in the previous seven days out of a population of 4001, while Ellon East had 43 cases in a population of 6106 and Ythanside recorded 29 Covid-19 positive results out of 4634 residents.
This means cases have been rising in Ellon West, overtaking last week’s case rate, which was 874.78 per 100,000 population.
What are case rates like in Moray?
The overall seven day case rate in Moray has fallen compared to the previous week, when there were very high case rates in some neighbourhoods.
The map shows that Buckie West and Mains of Buckie had the highest seven day case rates per 100,000 of the population on November 29, at 632.01.
This is lower than last week’s highest neighbourhood rate, in New Elgin East, which had a seven day case rate of 1134.64 per 100,000 of the population on November 22.
Heldon West, Fogwatt to Inchberry recorded the second highest case rate this week, with 596.27, followed by Fochabers, Aultmore, Clochan and Ordiquish with 535.42, both per 100,000 population.
Buckie West and Mains of Buckie reported a total of 31 positive Covid-19 cases in a population of 4905 within the previous seven day period, while the same numbers were 31 positive cases in Heldon West, Fogwatt to Inchberry out of a population of 5199 and 13 in Fochabers, Aultmore, Clochan and Ordiquish, out of a population of 2428.
What are case rates like in the Highlands?
Case rates in the Highlands have fallen this week, where they had previously been climbing.
The highest seven day case rate per 100,000 of the population was recorded in Inverness Westhill with 732.3. This was followed by Ross and Cromarty Central with a case rate of 592.51 per 100,000 population, and Inverness Central, Raigmore and Longman, with 547.81 per 100,000 population.
These are all below the previous week’s highest seven day case rate in the Highlands, in Badenoch and Strathspey South, which was 1006.45 per 100,000 population.
Of the highest areas this week, Inverness Westhill saw 45 positive Covid-19 cases in the seven day period prior to November 29 out of a population of 6145. Meanwhile, Ross and Cromarty Central had 22 positive cases out of a population of 3713, and Inverness Central, Raigmore and Longman had 22 cases in a population of 4016, both in the same time frame.
There were several areas within the Highlands in which seven day case rates were suppressed – which means there was less than two positive cases within the week period.
These were Skye North East, Ross and Cromarty South West, Ross and Cromarty North West, Sutherland South, Wick North, Caithness North East and Thurso East.
Where in Scotland has the highest case rates?
The chart below shows the top 10 neighbourhoods in Scotland with the highest seven day case rates per 100,000 population.
Ellon West in Aberdeenshire placed tenth on the list – the only north and north-east neighbourhood to be included.
Meanwhile, the below chart tracks the average seven day case rate for local authorities in the north and north-east.
At November 29, Moray had the highest case rate of the local authorities in the north and north-east with 427.89.