contact with covid patients

Progress is significant but we must take great care to ensure it is sustained.

FIRST MINISTER NICOLA STURGEON

The latest figures released by NRS show deaths involving Covid-19 account for 8% of all fatalities, which has steadily reduced from a high of 36% in the week of April 20 and from 12% in the week of May 31.

Meanwhile, fewer than half (47%) of all registered deaths involving Covid-19 in the week of June 7 occurred in care homes, down from a peak of 60% in the week of May 3, but the majority of deaths still take place in these settings.

This compares to 46% of deaths in care homes and 7% of deaths in home or non-institutional settings.

The number of deaths in care homes also fell for a sixth week in a row, by 27 to 42.

Commenting on the latest NRS figures, Nicola Sturgeon said they were “far higher” than anyone would like”.

She added: “The weekly number has fallen for six weeks in a row, less than one seventh of the peak level.

“That progress is significant but we must take great care to ensure it is sustained.

“If it is I hope we will be able to announce some more relaxing of measures.”

On Monday Ms Sturgeon said that she remained “optimistic” that the current strict measures which are still in place in Scotland to combat the spread of Covid-19 across the country could be further eased starting from next Thursday.

Beer gardens, small weddings and professional sports could be among the things to return to Scotland from next week, if the next phase of the government’s “route map” out of lockdown is given the go-ahead.

A further seven people have died in the north and north-east over the past week as a result of Covid-19.

A regional breakdown of the latest figures shows that there has been a total of 367 deaths across the north and north-east since the pandemic began.

A total of 245 deaths have been recorded in Grampian, an increase of five in the past week and 113 in Highland, an increase of two.

Pete Whitehouse, director of statistical services at NRS, said that every death from the virus is a “tragedy”.