Covid-19: West Lothian and Falkirk's death toll two years on

Hundreds of people in the West Lothian and Falkirk council areas have died from coronavirus since the pandemic reached the UK around two years ago.
Stock photo by John Devlin.Stock photo by John Devlin.
Stock photo by John Devlin.

Marie Curie is commemorating March 23 – two years after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the first UK-wide lockdown – as the National Day of Reflection. The charity is urging people to come together to remember the lives of those lost to Covid-19, as figures reveal the extent of the deadly toll in the West Lothian and Falkirk council areas.

Figures from the National Records of Scotland show that 404 deaths involving Covid-19 were recorded in West Lothian by March 13. Of these, 244 occurred in 2020 and 146 in 2021, while 14 have occurred so far this year.

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In the Falkirk Council area 447 deaths involving Covid-19 were recorded. 181 occurred in 2020 and 227 in 2021, while 39 have occurred so far this year.

The deadliest week of the pandemic between the two areas so far came in the week beginning April 20, 2020, when 25 people lost their lives in Falkirk.

The deaths in the two areas were among 13,563 registered in Scotland up to March 12.

Separate figures from the UK coronavirus daily dashboard reveal the rate of deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test. On March 16, the cumulative death rate for West Lothian stood at 189.9 deaths per 100,000 people in the area, which is lower than the Scotland rate of 202.6. Falkirk’s rate is currently higher than the national average, at 226.1 deaths per 100,000.