Deaths involving COVID-19 Week 51: 14-20 December 2020

As at 20 December 2020, 6,298 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 14 and 20 December, 203 deaths were registered which mentioned COVID-19 on the death certificate, a decrease of 23 deaths from the previous week.

81% of the 203 deaths registered in the latest week were of people aged 75 and over, and 7% were aged under 65.

In the latest week, there were 31 COVID-related deaths in the Glasgow City council area, and 25 in South Lanarkshire.

To place these statistics in context, the number of deaths from all causes registered in the week 14 to 20 December was 1,282. There were 10 more deaths registered in week 51 of 2020 compared to the five year average, which is 1% higher than the average.

Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services, said: 

“Every death from this virus is a tragedy, and these statistics represent the heartbreak of many families and communities across the country.

“Today’s statistics show a slight reduction again in the number of COVID-19 related deaths when compared to last week’s figures.

“The majority of deaths occurred in hospitals, representing 124 deaths. 71 deaths occurred in care homes, and 8 occurred at home or in a non-institutional setting.”

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