VACCINE LEADS TO DROP IN CARE HOME DEATHS
Encouraging fall in death rate over past three weeks
COVID deaths in care homes have fallen significantly as a result of the vaccination programme, according to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
She said that deaths from Covid-19 have dropped for the past three weeks overall – but tjat the biggest fall was in care homes.
Care home residents were the first priority group to get the vaccine last December and 99% of residents received their jag.
Sturgeon said that hospital deaths were down 11% over the past three weeks, and that deaths in people’s homes and other non-institutional settings had fallen at an even sharper rate of 29%.
It was care homes where the biggest impact was witnessed.
Sturgeon said: “Deaths in care homes, which were the early focus of the vaccination programme, have fallen by 62%.
“In fact, with the exception of one week at the end of August when there were only two Covid deaths registered overall, care homes accounted for a smaller proportion of overall Covid deaths last week than at any time since March of last year.
“I think that is positive news, given the toll the virus has taken on our care homes.”
There was a 45% reduction in Covid-related deaths in the over-85 age group.
Sturgeon added: “Of course, over80s who are living in the community were the next priority focus of the programme.
“It is reasonable to take some heart from that, because it strongly suggests that the vaccination programme is having the hoped-for effect of reducing the death toll from the virus.”
The statistics from the National Records of Scotland record deaths where Covid is the suspected cause as well as those who have tested positive. That total is now 9053.
In the past week, there were 323 deaths registered, which is 54 fewer than the previous week.
Most deaths occurred in hospital – with a total of 266 deaths there, compared to 42 in care homes and 15 at home or in a non-institutional setting.
The latest daily statistics showed another 64 deaths were registered of a person who had tested positive for Covid-19 in the past 28 days. The total number of deaths under that measurement is now 6828.
There were another 1121 positive recorded cases, which was 5.2% of all tests carried out.
The total number of cases since the pandemic started is now 194,269.
There were 1317 people in hospital with Covid-19, down by 66, and there were 99 patients in intensive care with the virus, down by one.
The vaccination programme has seen the expected slow-down in the number of jags given out.
The latest daily total, for Tuesday, was 32,070, taking the overall total to 1,320,074 doses administered.
The First Minister said doses have now been offered to all over-70s, all care home residents, all frontline health and care workers and all people with a serious clinical vulnerability.
She said 64% of 65 to 69-year-olds have now received the first dose.
Meanwhile, a new rule has been announced for those that have come into close contact with somebody to have tested positive for coronavirus.
From today anybody who is traced as a close contact, or who knows they have been in close proximity to somebody that has the virus, must self-isolate for 10 days and get tested.