One more death in Shetland linked with Covid-19
Andrew Hirst
One more patient has died in Shetland in connection with the Covid-19 pandemic, official figures show.
The National Records of Scotland’s (NRS) weekly report on deaths involving coronavirus, published today, showed Shetland’s figure had increased from five to six.
The report, which covers the week up to 19th April, shows 651 deaths relating to Covid-19 had been registered across Scotland, up from 610 the previous week.
A third of all registered deaths involving the virus happened in care homes, 56 per cent were in hospitals and 10 per cent were at home or “non-institutional settings”.
In Shetland, five of the six deaths were recorded in a care home setting, with one in hospital.
The total number of deaths registered in Scotland was nearly 80 per cent higher than the average number of deaths recorded that week over the last five years.
Almost three quarters of all registered deaths involving Covid-19 were people aged 75 or over. Of all deaths to date per cent were male and 45 per cent were female.
NRS director of statistical services Pete Whitehouse said every death was 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.
“This week we have carried out new analysis on the excess number of deaths registered in recent weeks when compared to the five year average for the same time of year.
“This analysis provides more context to the statistics and enables identification of potentially significant trends in other causes of deaths. We have also added a further breakdown of the location of death within health boards and council areas.
“Our aim is to ensure that our statistical publication provides information that is as useful as possible and adds value to the understanding of how the virus is spreading throughout the country. We will continue to review and develop these statistics.”
