Coronavirus deaths in Scotland fall for 11th consecutive week

The number of deaths linked to coronavirus in Scotland has fallen for the 11th consecutive week, according to official figures.

On Wednesday, National Records of Scotland revealed there were 34 deaths linked to Covid registered between April 5-11 – four fewer than the previous week.

However, NRS stated that care should be taken when interpreting the latest figures as the recent public holidays over Easter may have led to a “delay in registering some deaths”.

The death toll of those who tested positive currently stands at 7633. However, weekly figures on suspected Covid-19 deaths recorded by NRS suggest the most up-to-date total is at least 10,031.

Of the new NRS figures, the majority were in hospital at 26, with five in care homes and three at home or in non-institutional settings.

There were eight deaths in both the Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Lanarkshire health board areas, as well as five in Lothian.

At council level, the highest number of deaths occurred in Glasgow at seven, followed by five in North Lanarkshire and four in Fife.

NRS also reported that 50% of the deaths were of people aged 75 and over, with 24% under 65.

Out of the 34 deaths, 59% were male and 41% were female.

In a statement, the NRS noted: “While registered deaths continue to fall, care should be taken when interpreting the number of deaths in the last two weeks.

“Due to the recent public holidays and the closure of registration offices for Easter, there may have been a delay in registering some deaths.

“Monthly analysis shows that March 2021 was the first month since October 2020 where Covid-19 wasn’t the top cause of death, it was fifth most common cause of death.”

The Scottish Government confirmed later on Wednesday that three further deaths and 278 new cases of coronavirus have been recorded in Scotland overnight.

The daily test positivity rate is 1.3%, down from the 1.6% reported on Tuesday when 221 cases were recorded.

Of the new cases reported on Wednesday, 85 are in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde region, 45 are in Lanarkshire, and 42 are in Fife.

The rest of the cases are spread out across eight other health board areas.

According to NHS boards across Scotland, 119 people are currently in hospital with confirmed or suspected Covid-19. Out of those, 20 patients are in intensive care.

The Scottish Government also confirmed that 2,694,971 Scots have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. A total of 634,422 people have received their second dose.