Coronavirus in Scotland: Seven Covid-19-linked deaths last week, says NRS

The news came as Nicola Sturgeon announced a lockdown in Aberdeen following a spike in cases.

Scotland recorded seven coronavirus deaths in the last week, another decrease in the figures from the National Records of Scotland (NRS).

Between July 27 and August 2, there were seven occasions of Covid-19 being mentioned on the death certificate, having been up slightly at eight deaths the week before.

The July 20-26 figure came after 13 consecutive weeks of the figures falling.

A retail worker wearing PPE (personal protective equipment), of a face mask or covering as a precautionary measure against spreading Covid-19.

The news came as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced a lockdown in Aberdeen following a spike in confirmed cases in the region.

Using the NRS measure, Scotland’s overall death toll as of August 2 now stands at 4,208 – up from 4,201 previously.

Deaths involving Covid-19 accounted for less than 1% of all those registered between July 27 and August 2, having been 1% last week.

The peak was three months ago in week 17 – April 20 to 26 – when Covid-19 deaths accounted for 36% of the total.

For the second week in a row care homes and hospitals both accounted for 46% of the deaths registered, with the remaining 7% at home or non-institutional settings.

The NRS figures are published weekly and account for all fatalities registered in Scotland when Covid-19 is mentioned on 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 announced there had been no deaths in the daily figures, with that measurement remaining at 2,491 deaths.

During her briefing on Wednesday she said 18,781 people have now tested positive with 64 new cases in the last day – 36 linked to a cluster in Grampian and 15 to a similar run of cases in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board area.

Pete Whitehouse, NRS director of statistical services, said: “Today’s figures show seven more deaths due to Covid-19, showing a similar level for three consecutive weeks.

“These figures are significantly lower than the peak week in mid-April when 661 Covid-19 related deaths were registered.”

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism.

Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Joy Yates

Editorial Director