Coronavirus: Over 3,000 deaths registered in Scotland with confirmed or suspected Covid-19

More than 3,000 people have now died in Scotland with confirmed or suspected coronavirus, according to the National Records of Scotland (NRS).

The weekly statistics show a total of 3,213 deaths have been recorded, as of Sunday May 10, where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

There were 415 deaths registered between May 4 and May 10, a fall on the 523 registered the previous week, while the total number of all deaths registered in Scotland from May 4-10 was 1,434, up 39% from the five-year average for that week of 1,034.

The NRS said: “Of these 400 excess deaths, 96% were deaths where Covid-19 was the underlying cause of death.”

What the figures show

People in Scotland’s most deprived areas were 2.3 times more likely to die with Covid-19 than those living in the least deprived areas.
The proportion of deaths which took place in care homes has risen
over time but has dropped back slightly in the latest week to represent 57% of all Covid-19 deaths.
The number of deaths in care homes fell for a second week running, by 76 to 238.
45% of Covid-19 deaths registered to date related to deaths in care homes. 48% of deaths were in hospitals and 7% of deaths were at home or noninstitutional settings.
Three quarters (76%) of all deaths involving Covid-19 to date were of people aged 75 or over.
The greatest proportion of Covid-19 deaths are in people aged 85+ with 41% of all Covid-19 deaths. This compares with 35% of deaths from all causes in this age category.
Of those who died with Covid-19 in April, 91% had at least one pre-existing condition. The most common pre-existing condition was dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (31% of all deaths involving Covid-19) followed by ischaemic heart disease (13%).
Of all deaths to date involving Covid-19, 51% were male (1,637) and 49% were female (1,576).
In week 19 (4 to 10 May), the Health Board area with the highest number of deaths involving Covid-19 was Greater Glasgow and Clyde with 126 deaths (also the highest number of Covid-19 deaths to date with 1,038).
The Health Board area with the highest rate of Covid-19 deaths to date was also Greater Glasgow and Clyde with 8.8 deaths per 10,000 population.

Why this data differs from daily updates

The weekly figures differ to the daily numbers announced by Nicola Sturgeon at her press briefings as they also include deaths where there has not been a positive test for Covid-19, but it is a suspected or presumed factor.

The First Minister’s daily figures only record deaths of patients who have tested positive for coronavirus.

Wednesday’s daily stats are:

1,973 deaths (+61)
13,929 confirmed cases (+166)
1,534 in hospital (-84)
70 in ICU (-11)

Speaking at First Minister’s Questions at the Scottish Parliament, Ms Sturgeon announced 13,929 people in Scotland have now tested positive for the virus, a rise of 166 from 13,763 the day before.

As of Tuesday night, 1,534 patients were in hospital with confirmed or suspected Covid-19, down 84 from 1,618 the previous day, Ms Sturgeon added, of which 70 are in intensive care, a fall of 11.