First two deaths in six weeks as ‘progress made’ in tackling main Covid ‘clusters’

Two people have died in Scotland’s first confirmed coronavirus fatalities in six weeks.

The deaths confirmed yesterday by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon are the first to be newly registered of people who first tested positive in the previous 28 days since 16 July.

They take the total Covid-19 death sin Scotland recorded under this measure to 2,494.

Speaking at First Minister’s Questions, Ms Sturgeon said: “I think all of us have become used to hearing news of no deaths under these daily figures.

“These two new deaths today are, of course, devastating for those who will be grieving the loss, but they should also be a reminder to us that the threat of Covid hasn’t yet gone away.”

Ms Sturgeon said 67 people had tested positive for Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, taking the total to 19,998.

She said that, of those who tested positive ,249 were in hospital, up six in 24 hours. Of these, two were in intensive care, a rise of one.

Separate figures from the National Records of Scotland showed that by last Sunday there had been 4,222 deaths where coronavirus was either confirmed or suspected.

That includes six deaths over the period of the week to Sunday, Ms Sturgeon said – three more than the previous week. Four of those deaths were in care homes, she added.

She went on to state the total deaths recorded last week from all causes was 40 higher than the five-year average for the same time of year, although she stressed this figure could “fluctuate”.

She also updated MSPS on the “main clusters” of coronavirus in Scotland.

There are now 166 positive cases linked to the 2 Sisters food processing plant in Coupar Angus, she said, with 146 workers and 20 of their contacts affected.

The total was up by ten from the previous day, with all four new cases workers in the factory.

Ms Sturgeon said“almost all” employees there had now been tested.

More than 5,000 people have been tested for coronavirus in the Tayside area over the past seven days.

Ms Sturgeon said“good progress” was being made in tackling that cluster and there was “still no evidence at this stage of wider community transmission”.

She said 31 cases of coronavirus had now been identified in the cluster at Kings park School in Dundee, with this including two pupils of the school.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said they were now carrying out c on tacttr acing at Lady Alice Primary in Greenock.

But they added there was no evidence of transmission within the school itself.

Meanwhile the number of cases in the cluster linked with pubs in Aberdeen remains at 261, the First Minister said.

Pubs, cafes and restaurants in the city began to reopen yesterday as the lockdown measures imposed on 5 August in response to the outbreak were lifted.

The latest figures have separately confirmed death rates rose by more than 30 per cent across Scotland during the peak of the coronavirus outbreak. Public Health Scotland found Covid-19 contributed most to the 32 per cent mortality surge, although there was a rise in fatalities linked to other causes such as dementia and diabetes.

The body also reported a “striking” increase in excess deaths from external causes such as traffic collisions and violence, despite lo ckdown measures.

Its report said: “Our findings provide some support for the hypotheses that excess mortality from causes other than Covid-19 in Scotland may have resulted from reduced use of health services by those that need them and from unintended consequences of measures taken to control the spread of the virus.”