Record number of cases while in hospital

A record number of patients were infected with coronavirus while already in hospital during the first full week of January, figures show.

Public Health Scotland data reveals that in the week ending January 10, 219 hospital patients were found to have definitely caught Covid-19 while on a ward for treatment unrelated to coronavirus.

A further 113 patients were thought to have “probable hospital onset” of the virus.

The Public Health Scotland statistics record a definite case of hospital infection in cases where a patient tested positive for Covid 15 days or more after being admitted to hospital.

Probable cases are where a positive test result is recorded between eight and 14 days after someone was admitted.

The figures for the week ending January 10 – the most-recently published data – take the totals up to 2,639 definite and 1,142 probable infections in Scottish hospitals.

During that week, Scotland recorded 15,173 new cases of coronavirus – including the highest daily increase of 2,649 people testing positive on January 7.

Since then, the number of people known to have Covid-19 in Scotland has risen by 126,615, taking the cumulative total to 1,580,148 since the start of the pandemic.

Scottish Labour health spokeswoman Monica Lennon said: “This is extremely worrying and SNP ministers are simply not doing enough to keep our hospitals safe.

“Exhausted staff need more support, better PPE and additional help with infection control measures.

“This must be wake-up call.”