BBC Scotland is reporting that the number of patients in Scottish hospitals with Covid has reached the highest level seen during the pandemic.
Latest figures reveal 2,128 patients recently tested positive for the virus, higher than the previous peak in January 2021.
The number requiring ICU treatment, however, remains relatively low as fewer patients become seriously ill.
The latest Covid surge is thought to be driven by a more transmissible sub-variant of Omicron.
The latest daily figures revealed that a further 9,533 new cases were reported on Monday. No new deaths were reported but register offices are generally closed at weekends.
The number of people with Covid in hospital has risen by 78 since Friday but only 31 of the 2,128 Covid-positive patients were so ill that they required intensive care.
On Friday, data from the Office for National Statistics suggested that one in 14 Scots, a total of 376,300 people, had Covid in the week ending 12 March. Most cases are thought to involve the more transmissible BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron.
Omicron infections tend to be milder and with a large proportion of people vaccinated, the risks of becoming seriously unwell with this variant are relatively low.
Despite this, Professor Linda Bauld, top left, an expert in public health at the University of Edinburgh who also advises the government, told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme the NHS was still “under real pressure”.
Professor Bauld said Covid-positive patients required more protocols “which take more time”, even if they were originally admitted to hospital for other ailments.
Waiting lists and staff absences have also been affected by outbreaks,” she added.
Professor Bauld said: “If you talk to any of my clinical colleagues they will tell you it remains a very difficult time, and we shouldn’t forget that.”