First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says latest continued decline those dying from Covid-19 is a sign of encouragement
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said the declining numbers of people dying offer “grounds for encouragement” ahead of making a major announcement on Scotland’s path out of lockdown tomorrow.
The latest National Records for Scotland (NRS) recorded that for the third week in a row the number of weekly deaths from Covid-19 had declined while in the Highland Council area 14 people died from Covid-19 in the last three weeks but in the three weeks preceding that 23 people died.
Ms Sturgeon noted also that both the number of excess deaths – the average number of people dying five years ago compared to now not related to Covid-19 – as well as deaths in care homes had declined too.
She said: “The latest NRS report covers the period up to Sunday May 17, three days ago, and I would remind members that at that point according to our daily figures 2105 deaths had been registered of people who have tested positive for the virus.
“However today’s report shows that by Sunday the total number of registered deaths linked to Covid-19 confirmed and presumed was 3546 – 332 of these deaths were registered in seven days up until Sunday – that is a decrease of 83 from the week before, indeed this is the third week in a row in which deaths have fallen.
“Deaths in care homes that made up 55 per cent of all deaths linked to the virus last week which is down from 57 per cent in the previous week and the number of deaths in care homes from Covid-19 also reduced again, however, as all of us will agree, that figure remains too high.
“The total number of what are called excess deaths are those that go above the five-year average for the same time of year also decreased from 401 to 351.
"We have also published today information from Public Health Scotland which contains preliminary and I stress preliminary analysis of Covid-19 cases among minority ethnic communities.
“While the data is very limited and further analysis is being undertaken particularly due to findings in England and Wales, the current analysis in Scotland appears to show that there is not a higher level of Covid-19 cases than would be expected given the size of our black, Asian and minority ethnic populations.
“The trends we are seeing do matter and the offer grounds for encouragement in particular the number of Covid-19 deaths has fallen for a third week and are now almost half the level of three weeks ago, deaths in care homes and excess deaths have also fallen.
“Tomorrow, I will make a statement and publish a route map about the steps we might take and the order in which we might take them to carefully and cautiously return to some form of normality.”
