Coronavirus – Friday’s figures

Public Health Scotland has published the latest data on Covid-19 in Scotland.

• The number of cases in Scotland is 6,815 which is just slightly lower than Thursday
• The number of positive cases in Lothian is 1,002
• The number of people who were vaccinated yesterday with either the first or second dose is 6,753 which is the lowest daily figure we can recall

The Scottish Parliament has agreed to introduce vaccine passports which will be required to gain access to nightclubs, places of adult entertainment and large events. The measures will not come into effect until everyone eligible has been offered two doses of the vaccine.

If you wish to see the figures up to 31 August for each day (with some highs and lows from the past few months) then please read below and also read this article here.

Scotland has now moved beyond Level 0 but the legal requirement for wearing masks in indoor settings is to be retained largely as it has been.

Deaths involving COVID-19 Week 35 30 August to 5 September

National Records of Scotland issue these statistics weekly:

As at 5 September, 10,612 deaths have been registered in Scotland where the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was mentioned on the death certificate, according to statistics published today by National Records of Scotland (NRS).

In the week 30 August – 5 September, 58 deaths were registered that mentioned COVID-19 on the death certificate, an increase of 10 deaths from the previous week.

17 people who died were aged under 65, 12 were of people aged 65-74 and 29 were over 75. 34 people who died were male and 24 were female.

There were 10 deaths in Glasgow City and six each in North Lanarkshire and City of Edinburgh. 42 people died in hospital, eight in care homes and seven at home.

Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services, said:

“Today’s NRS figures show that there were 58 deaths in Scotland last week where COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, an increase of 10 deaths on the previous week.”

“Deaths from all causes were 19% higher than average for this period in 2015 to 2019, and this is the fifteenth consecutive week in which deaths from all causes exceeded the average.”

Beyond Level 0

The legal requirement for physical distancing and limits on gatherings has been removed from Monday 9 August when all venues across Scotland are able to re-open.

Some protective measures will stay in place such as the use of face coverings indoors and the collection of contact details as part of Test and Protect. Capacity limits of 2000 people indoors and 5000 people outdoors will also remain in place although some exceptions may be possible on a case by case basis. These will be reviewed on a three weekly basis to ensure they remain proportionate.

Adults identified as close contacts of someone who has tested positive for Covid-19 will also no longer be automatically required to self-isolate for 10 days from 9 August. Anyone who is double-vaccinated with at least two weeks passed since their second dose and who has no symptoms will be able to end self-isolation if they return a negative PCR test. The same conditions will also apply to anyone aged between five and 17 years old, even if they have not been vaccinated. The requirement to take a PCR test will not apply to children under the age of five.

Test and Protect will also implement revised guidance for under 18s. This means that the blanket isolation of whole classes in schools will no longer happen and a targeted approach, that only identifies children and young people who are higher risk close contacts, will be adopted. Fewer young people will have to self-isolate, and most will be asked to self-isolate for a much shorter period of time. To allow time to monitor the impacts of these changes, the majority of the mitigations that were in place in schools in the previous term will be retained for up to six weeks. This will help support a safe and sustainable return to education after the summer break.

While the gateway condition on vaccination has been met, with 92% of those over the age of 40 protected by two doses of the vaccine, there are still many more people who have not had the vaccine, cannot have it, or are not yet eligible for it. Invitations for vaccines are now going out to 12 to 17 year olds with specific health conditions that make them more vulnerable to Covid. This follows the recent advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. The government expects to have offered first doses to this group by the end of August.

The JCVI has now recommended vaccination to young people aged 16 and 17.