Coronavirus involved in more than 1,600 deaths in Scotland since outbreak began

A total of 1,616 deaths involving the virus have been recorded as of April 19.

The figures are announced weekly and account for all deaths registered in Scotland when Covid-19 is mentioned in the death certificate.

They differ from the lab-confirmed coronavirus deaths announced daily by the Scottish Government using Health Protection Scotland (HPS) figures because they include suspected or probable cases of Covid-19.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said HPS figures as of 9am on Wednesday show 1,062 patients have died in Scotland after testing positive for coronavirus, up by 77 from 985 on Tuesday.

Of the coronavirus-linked deaths in Scotland registered by April 19, more than a third (33%) – 537 – were in care homes, 56% (910) were in hospitals and 10% (168) were at home or non-institutional settings.

There were 651 deaths relating to Covid-19 registered between April 13 and April 19, a rise of 41 on the 610 registered between April 6 and April 12, according to the NRS.

The total number of all deaths registered in Scotland from April 13 to April 19 was 1,911, nearly 80% higher than the five-year weekly average of 1,067.

Covid-19 accounted for three-quarters (74%) of the 844 excess deaths in that week, at 637.

There were 83 more dementia and Alzheimer’s deaths, 38 more cancer deaths and 101 more deaths from other causes than the weekly average for this time of year, while deaths from respiratory causes fell by 26.

People aged 75 and over account for almost three-quarters (74%) of all registered deaths involving Covid-19.

More men (55%) than women (45%) have had coronavirus as a factor in their death.

Pete Whitehouse, NRS statistical services director, said: “Every death from this virus is a tragedy.

“These statistics, alongside the other important evidence being made available by the Scottish Government and Health Protection Scotland, are valuable to the understanding of the progress and impact of the Covid-19 virus across Scotland.”

He said the analysis on the number of excess deaths compared to the five-year weekly average “enables identification of potentially significant trends in other causes of deaths”.

Speaking at her daily coronavirus briefing, Ms Sturgeon said more work needs to be done to understand the increase in excess deaths not accounted for by coronavirus.

She said the NRS figures are “extremely difficult to report on, and they will be difficult for all of you to listen to”.

The First Minister added: “They are higher than any of us would ever want to think about.

“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.”

She said the NRS age breakdown, which shows 0.6% (10) of registered Covid-19 linked deaths are people aged 15-44, 9.5% (154) are aged 45-64 and 16.3% (263) are aged 65-74, highlights “much younger people do sometimes die as a result of this virus and that is an important reminder that all of us are potentially at risk”.

The First Minister gave further information on the HPS daily figures, saying 9,038 people have now tested positive for the virus in Scotland, up by 366 from 8,672 the day before.

There are 155 people in intensive care with coronavirus or coronavirus symptoms, a decrease of 11 on Tuesday.

Some 1,776 people are in hospital with confirmed or suspected Covid-19, down 90 from 1,866 on the previous day.

Ms Sturgeon said the fall in the intensive care and hospital figures is “really encouraging”.

Since March 5, a total of 1,813 patients who tested positive have been discharged from hospital.

She added figures published later on Wednesday will show 384 care homes have a current outbreak of coronavirus.

“These are care homes that have at least one resident who has exhibited symptoms of the virus in the last 14 days,” she said.

Ms Sturgeon added it is “not unusual” for care home residents to become ill but insisted this does not mean their deaths are considered “inevitable”.