Weekly coronavirus deaths in Scotland drop to seven

Scotland recorded seven coronavirus deaths in the last week, another decrease in the figures from the National Records of Scotland (NRS).

Between July 27 and August 2, there were seven occasions of Covid-19 being mentioned on the death certificate, having been up slightly at eight deaths the week before.

The July 20-26 figure came after 13 consecutive weeks of the figures falling.

Scotland's overall death toll as of August 2 now stands at 4,208 - up from 4,201 previously.

Deaths involving Covid-19 accounted for less than 1% of all those registered between July 27 and August 2, having been 1% last week.

The peak was three months ago in week 17 - April 20 to 26 - when Covid-19 deaths accounted for 36% of the total.

For the second week in a row care homes and hospitals both accounted for 46% of the deaths registered, with the remaining 7% at home or non-institutional settings.

The NRS figures are published weekly and account for all fatalities registered in Scotland when Covid-19 is mentioned on the death certificate.

They differ from the lab-confirmed coronavirus deaths announced daily by the Scottish Government using Health Protection Scotland (HPS) figures because they include suspected or probable cases of Covid-19.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced there had been no deaths in the daily figures, with that measurement remaining at 2,491 deaths.

During her briefing on Wednesday she said 18,781 people have now tested positive with 64 new cases in the last day - 36 linked to a cluster in Grampian and 15 to a similar run of cases in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board area.

Pete Whitehouse, NRS director of statistical services, said: Today's figures show seven more deaths due to Covid-19, showing a similar level for three consecutive weeks.

These figures are significantly lower than the peak week in mid-April when 661 Covid-19 related deaths were registered.''