Coronavirus in Scotland RECAP: First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says planned May 17 lockdown easing will ‘go ahead’ |  pubs and cinemas to reopen | Moray still facing covid spike | 10 relaxed coronavirus rules

NHS Grampian has warned it is “entirely possible” Moray will not move to Level 2 coronavirus restrictions with the rest of the country as expected next Monday.

Health authorities in the area are currently dealing with “uncontrolled, sustained community transmission” of Covid-19, with current restrictions failing to contain the spread.

Latest statistics show Moray had 93.9 cases per 100,000 people in the seven days to May 7, significantly higher than the rate in the rest of Scotland.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is set to review coronavirus restrictions on Tuesday and will set out the final decisions for the next easing of restrictions scheduled for May 17, when the country is due to move down from Level 3 to Level 2 of restrictions.

But Chris Littlejohn, NHS Grampian’s deputy director of public health, warned: “The situation remains of great concern and according to previous Scottish Government thresholds, it’s entirely possible that Moray won’t move into Level 2.

“We have been delighted with the community response to our request for increased testing, and we are asking for that to continue as well as everyone’s continuing compliance with the regulations and rules.

“If the community continues to do the right things, Level 2 won’t be far away. We are pleased to say there has been enormous interest in the accelerated vaccination programme for Moray.

“Our team is working its way through calls and queries as quickly as they can; we would ask people to be patient with us and, wherever possible, make every effort to attend the appointment made for them.

“We’ve also seen many people take up the enhanced testing offers – finding the virus and getting those with it to isolate, even if asymptomatic, really is the way we beat it and get Moray back on a level-footing with the rest of the country.

“The impact of being left behind could be quite significant. It will be painful and understandably it will be upsetting for many but with the extra vaccinations, testing and people sticking by the guidelines Moray will very soon be heading in the right direction and I’d thank each and every person who is playing their part in protecting Moray.”

NHS Grampian has warned it is “entirely possible” Moray will not move to Level 2 coronavirus restrictions with the rest of the country as expected next Monday.

Health authorities in the area are currently dealing with “uncontrolled, sustained community transmission” of Covid-19, with current restrictions failing to contain the spread.

Latest statistics show Moray had 93.9 cases per 100,000 people in the seven days to May 7, significantly higher than the rate in the rest of Scotland.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is set to review coronavirus restrictions on Tuesday and will set out the final decisions for the next easing of restrictions scheduled for May 17, when the country is due to move down from Level 3 to Level 2 of restrictions.

But Chris Littlejohn, NHS Grampian’s deputy director of public health, warned: “The situation remains of great concern and according to previous Scottish Government thresholds, it’s entirely possible that Moray won’t move into Level 2.

“We have been delighted with the community response to our request for increased testing, and we are asking for that to continue as well as everyone’s continuing compliance with the regulations and rules.

“If the community continues to do the right things, Level 2 won’t be far away. We are pleased to say there has been enormous interest in the accelerated vaccination programme for Moray.

“Our team is working its way through calls and queries as quickly as they can; we would ask people to be patient with us and, wherever possible, make every effort to attend the appointment made for them.

“We’ve also seen many people take up the enhanced testing offers – finding the virus and getting those with it to isolate, even if asymptomatic, really is the way we beat it and get Moray back on a level-footing with the rest of the country.

“The impact of being left behind could be quite significant. It will be painful and understandably it will be upsetting for many but with the extra vaccinations, testing and people sticking by the guidelines Moray will very soon be heading in the right direction and I’d thank each and every person who is playing their part in protecting Moray.”

People looking for work are being urged to beware of job scams following an increase in cases of exploitation during the coronavirus pandemic.

Disclosure Scotland said that latest research found nearly three in four jobseekers (74%) applied for jobs that were not genuine during the pandemic.

Some jobseekers even paid money to companies for disclosure checks only to discover the job they had been offered was not real when the check never arrived.

Information provided through fraudulent job adverts can be used in a number of ways by criminals, including identity theft, Disclosure Scotland said.

It is running a campaign to raise awareness of job scams and employment fraud among jobseekers along with JobsAware, the Disclosure and Barring Service and AccessNl.

Gerard Hart, chief executive of Disclosure Scotland, said: “During the unprecedented times we have been living through, people’s economic security has been, of course, immensely challenged.

“Finding employment is a major way that we build and maintain that vital sense of personal and family wellbeing and safety. It is therefore particularly deplorable that criminal elements seek to exploit job seekers.

“Disclosure Scotland stands ready to assist our partners and the public in putting an end to such fraudulent and damaging scams.”

Coronavirus patients who are not admitted to hospital have a low risk of serious long-term effects, but they could report more visits to a GP in the six months after infection, new research suggests.

According to the six-month study, people who tested positive for the virus and were not admitted to hospital had a slightly increased risk of needing medical treatment for blood clots and breathing difficulties, compared with those who had not been infected.

There was also a slightly increased risk of starting medications for breathing difficulties and migraines.

However, the risks of these factors at the individual level remained small, researchers say.

Experts assessed the risk of initiating medication and receiving a hospital diagnosis for a new condition by comparing individuals who tested positive for coronavirus with those who had a negative test during the first wave of the pandemic in Denmark.

Senior author, Professor Anton Pottegard from the University of Southern Denmark, said: “Until now, most research investigating long-term complications from Covid-19 has been focused on hospitalised patients.

“But the reality is that the majority of people with Covid-19 are not admitted to the hospital.

“Our study finds a very low risk of severe delayed effects from Covid-19 in people who didn’t require hospitalisation for the infection.

“However, our research provided evidence for some long-term effects that did not require hospitalisation or the use of new medicines, which we found reflected in higher use of primary healthcare services after infection.

“This highlights the need to ensure clinicians have the resources and support to manage any potential long-term conditions.”