Hundreds of Covid deaths in West Lothian and Falkirk – as UK death toll tops 200,000

Hundreds of people have died from coronavirus in West Lothian and Falkirk, new figures show, as the total death toll for the UK passes 200,000.

Although the number of deaths remains well below previous waves, infections and hospital admissions are rising across the country, driven by the variant Omicron BA.2.

The UK surpassed 200,000 deaths on June 25 – although this has only just been confirmed due to the time it takes for deaths to be registered.

This includes 434 in West Lothian by July 3, according to the latest data on the Government’s coronavirus dashboard. This means 236.1 people have died per 100,000 – lower than the 273.5 average for Scotland as a whole as of July 1.

In the Falkirk Council area 494 people have died - 307.7 per 100,000 people.

While infections have risen recently the number of deaths has slowed significantly compared to previous peaks, with vaccines weakening the link between infection and serious illness.