Covid Scotland: City-dwellers four times as likely to die of Covid as Edinburgh, Glasgow and Lanarkshire worst affected

People in large urban areas are almost four times as likely to die of Covid-19, National Records of Scotland (NRS) has said as it recorded 30 new deaths last week.

The figure is the highest since early April and an increase of eight on the previous week.

Five of those who died were under 65, and more than two thirds of them (21) were men.

Edinburgh was the worst-hit area, with five deaths, while there were four in both Glasgow and South Lanarkshire.

Staff in the ICU at Monklands hospital during the second wave of Covid. Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Some 14 other council areas also recorded deaths in the week to July 11.

Adjusting for age, those in large urban areas are 3.7 times as likely to die of Covid than people in remote rural areas, according to figures from the NRS.

Glasgow has seen the most deaths during the pandemic, as measured by the NRS classification of all deaths with Covid-19 mentioned on the death certificate.

Since March last year, 15 per cent of deaths have been registered in Glasgow City, while 8 per cent have been recorded in each of Edinburgh, North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire.

Pete Whitehouse, NRS director of statistical services, said: “Five of the Covid-related deaths last week were aged under 65, four were aged 65-74 and there were 21 deaths amongst people aged 75 or over. Nine were female and 21 were male.

“After adjusting for age, Covid-related death rates for males are significantly higher than for females. In the period from March 2020 to June 2021, Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificates of 176 males per 100,000 population compared to 121 females per 100,000.”

There have been no further deaths following adverse effects of a Covid vaccine.

Recent figures from the Health Foundation suggested the Covid mortality rate was almost four times higher in under-65s in the poorest areas compared to the richest.

The comparison, based on data from Manchester, was likely to be similar in Scotland, researchers said.

Mehrunisha Suleman, senior research fellow on the inquiry, said: "We know people in more deprived areas across the UK have poorer underlying health, as well as socio-economic circumstances which means they have fewer opportunities for good health.”

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