A third of Scotland’s coronavirus deaths have occurred in care homes, according to newly released figures.
The weekly numbers from National Records of Scotland (NRS) report that, as of April 19, there have been a total of 1616 deaths registered in Scotland where Covid-19 has been mentioned on the death certificate.
Of these, 33% were related to care homes, 56% were in hospitals and 10% in homes or non-institutional settings.
#NRSStats show as of 19th April 1,616 deaths have been registered in #Scotland where COVID-19 was mentioned in the death certificate. https://t.co/Kos5k0XGkQ pic.twitter.com/cDHSpE3g8m
— NatRecordsScot (@NatRecordsScot) April 22, 2020
The new data also revealed that deaths involving Covid-19 as a proportion of all deaths have increased from 15% in week 14 (March 30 – April 5) to 30% in week 15 (April 6-12) and 34 % in week 16 (April 13 -19).
Almost three quarters (74%) of all deaths involving coronavirus to date were of people aged 75 or over.
The figures from the NRS differ to the daily numbers announced by the Scottish Government and referred to by Nicola Sturgeon in briefings.
This is because the daily figures are based on deaths of those who are confirmed to have had coronavirus.
The NRS figures include all deaths where it has been mentioned on the death certificate, which includes suspected cases where a person has not been tested.
Speaking at today’s briefing, Ms Sturgeon said: “These figures are extremely difficult to report on, and they will be difficult for all of you to listen to.
“They are higher than any of us would ever want to think about.
“But this information is really important, it gives us as full a picture as possible of the toll the virus is having and how and where it is progressing.
“All of us are potentially at risk, so it is important for all of us to follow the guidance.”
Ms Sturgeon, who emphasised that every death should be treated as more than just a “statistic”, was also able to confirm some recovery figures.
She said: “I am able, for the first time, to confirm that since the 5th of March a total of 1,813 patients who had tested positive for the virus have been able to leave hospital, and I wish all of them well.”
The full NRS stats can be found at https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/covid19stats
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