Deaths involving COVID-19, Week 16 - 13 to 19 April

As at 19th April, 1,616 deaths have been registered in Scotland where COVID-19 was mentioned in the death certificate, according to statistics published by National Records of Scotland (NRS) today.

Between 13th April to 19th April, 651 deaths relating to COVID-19 have been registered, up from 610 deaths in the previous week, 6th April to 12th April.

To place these statistics in context, the total number of deaths registered in Scotland from 13th April to 19th April was 1,911 – nearly 80% higher than the average number of deaths registered in the same week over the last five years (1,067). Of these 844 excess deaths, three quarters were deaths where COVID-19 was the underlying cause of death.

A third of all registered deaths involving COVID-19 occurred in care homes. 56% of registered deaths were in hospitals and 10% were at home or non-institutional settings.

Almost three quarters of all registered deaths involving COVID -19 to date were people aged 75 or over. Of all deaths to date involving COVID-19, 55% were male and 45% were female.

Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services, said:              

“Every death from this virus is a tragedy. These statistics, alongside the other important evidence being made available by the Scottish Government and Health Protection Scotland (HPS), are valuable to the understanding of the progress and impact of the COVID-19 virus across Scotland.

“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.”

The publication Deaths involving coronavirus (COVID-19) in Scotland and an infographic summary is available on this website.