Rise in number of Covid-19 related deaths
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New statistics reveal that almost 1000 people have been confirmed or suspected to have died because of the coronavirus in Scotland, including another 13 in the NHS Highland area.
A total of 962 deaths had been registered where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate up to April 12, according to statistics published by National Records of Scotland (NRS).
In the NHS Highland area, which includes Argyll and Bute, 29 people have died from the infection. Up to March 30 just five people had fallen victim to the virus but the following week that rose to 11 and now a further 13 people have lost their lives.
A more detailed breakdown of the numbers shows that the majority of those were in hospitals – 596 – while 237 died in care homes across the country. A total of 128 others died at home, and one elsewhere.
Nationally for the week of April 6-12, 608 deaths relating to coronavirus were registered which is a rise of 282 deaths on the previous week and accounts for 31 per cent of all deaths registered that week.
Almost 70 per cent of all registered deaths involving Covid-19 to date were people aged 75 or over.
Pete Whitehouse, director of statistical services at the NRS, said: “All of these deaths are tragic for the families involved. These statistics, when placed alongside the other important evidence being made available by the Scottish Government and Health Protection Scotland, are valuable to the understanding of the progress and impact of the Covid-19 virus across the country.”
The charity Age Scotland reacted to the figures by insisting older people must receive "fair and equal access to medical treatment".
Brian Sloan, Age Scotland's chief executive, said: “It is devastating to learn that 237 care home residents in Scotland have died as a result of coronavirus. The fear we have had over the past few weeks about the impact this is having on some of the people most at risk has now sadly become a reality.
“No age group is immune but these grim figures highlight once again the devastating effect that this virus has on the lives of older people.
“Each and every death is a tragic loss to those who knew and loved them. Care homes must be supported with everything they need to prevent and stop the spread of this virus among residents and staff.
“It is more important now than ever that older people know that their lives matter. We must have assurances that care home residents have fair and equal access to medical treatment.
"Decisions about treatment should be made on a case-by-case basis, through open discussions with doctors, patients, their families and other healthcare professionals and not by broad assumptions. There is never an excuse to use a person’s age as a factor when deciding on medical care or admission to hospital. To do so would be blatant discrimination.
“We know care home staff across Scotland are working tirelessly in very difficult circumstances to provide the highest standards of care for their residents.
"It is imperative that social care and care home staff are not seen as second tier. They are very much frontline workers delivering critical services that keep people alive. They must be given robust protection equipment to keep themselves and their residents safe from infection. They should never be expected to work in an unsafe environment.
“We also urgently need more widespread testing to be made available for everyone who needs it, whether they work in a hospital, care home or community setting.
“Unfortunately we expect more older residents of care homes in Scotland will die in the coming days, weeks and months as a result of coronavirus. Care homes are close-knit communities where staff and residents love and care for one another, never more so than now when family members cannot visit their loves ones.
"Older residents and their carers deserve our full support as they navigate this difficult path ahead.”
