Death toll in care homes

Overtakes Covid-19 hospital deaths

Across South Lanarkshire, coronavirus has now claimed more lives in care homes than in hospitals.

It came as the area recorded the lowest number of Covid-19 deaths for nine weeks last week.

Figures released by the National Records of Scotland on Wednesday, June 3, revealed the number of coronavirus deaths fell by almost two-thirds to eight last week.

It’s only the second time since the first recorded death in South Lanarkshire that the number of coronavirus deaths in one week has been less than 10 and the first time since the week ending March 29.

However, five of the eight deaths last week occurred in the region’s care homes which now means more coronavirus deaths have occurred in South Lanarkshire care homes than South Lanarkshire hospitals.

That brings the total number of coronavirus deaths in South Lanarkshire to 282 – of which 127 were in care homes, 125 were in hospital and 30 were in other settings including at home.

Last week was also the first week since the week ending April 19 that there were less coronavirus deaths in South Lanarkshire than neighbouring North Lanarkshire.

A spike last week saw deaths in North Lanarkshire almost double from eight to 14.

The weekly death toll in South Lanarkshire has consistently fallen over the past five weeks whereas it has tended to yo-yo in North Lanarkshire but with an overall decrease after peaking at 46 in the weeks ending April 12 and April 19.

In total, there have been 252 deaths where coronavirus was listed on the death certificate in North Lanarkshire.

Of those, 90 were in care homes, 142 in hospital and 20 were in other settings including at home.

That takes the total number of coronavirus deaths in Lanarkshire to 534 as of Sunday, May 31.

Lanarkshire as a whole remains the second-worst affected health board in Scotland with 8.1 deaths for every 10,000 people, only Greater Glasgow and Clyde has seen a higher death rate (10.7).

Only Lothian (673) and Greater Glasgow and Clyde (1,262) have seen a higher number of coronavirus deaths than Lanarkshire although the death rate in Lothian is only 7.4 because of the bigger population.

Across Scotland, coronavirus deaths are at their lowest since March.

In total, 3911 people have died as a result of Covid-19. More than three-quarters (76 per cent) were aged 75 or over while 46 per cent of deaths occurred in care homes.

The figures released by the National Records of Scotland include all deaths up to Sunday, May 31.