Deaths involving COVID-19 Week 49, 30th - 6th December

As at 6th December, 5,868 deaths have been registered in Scotland where the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was mentioned on the death certificate, according to statistics published by National Records of Scotland (NRS) today.

Between 30th November and 6th December, 232 deaths were registered which mentioned COVID-19 on the death certificate, a decrease of 20 deaths from the previous week.

Almost three-quarters of the people who died in the latest week were aged 75 and over, and 9% were aged under 65.

In the latest week, there were 38 deaths involving COVID-19  in the Glasgow City council area, 31 in South Lanarkshire, and 22 in both North Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire.

The majority of deaths occurred in hospitals, representing 145 deaths, with 78 deaths in care homes and 9 at home or in a non-institutional setting.

To place these statistics in context, the number of deaths from all causes registered in the week ending 6th December was 1,283, 13% higher than the average over the previous five years.

Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services, said

“Every death from this virus is a tragedy, and represents heartbreak for many families across the country.

“Today’s statistics show a slight decrease in the number of COVID-19 related deaths, although numbers have remained broadly similar for the last three weeks.“

The publication Deaths involving coronavirus (COVID-19) in Scotland is available on the NRS website.