Figures reveal second Orkney death involving COVID-19

Figures published today, Wednesday, have revealed that the number of deaths involving COVID-19 in Orkney stands at two.

The National Records of Scotland (NRS) figures, which include all deaths where COVID-19 (including suspected cases) was mentioned on the death certificate, reveal that the disease has played a role in the deaths of two people up to April 12.

The statistics differ from those released daily by the Scottish Government, which is based on those who have tested positive for COVID-19.

As a result, these weekly totals are likely to be higher than the government’s daily figures.

Last weekend brought the tragic news that COVID-19 had claimed its first test-confirmed victim in Orkney, after a 59-year-old woman passed away at The Balfour.

Nationally, 962 have died where COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, from the beginning of the year, up to April 12.

Of the total number of deaths registered in Scotland between April 6 to 12, there were 608 where COVID-19 was mentioned — an increase of 326 from the previous week.

Twenty-five per cent of COVID-19 deaths registered related to deaths in care homes, while 62 per cent of deaths were in hospitals and 13 per cent were at home or non-institutional settings.

The number of test-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Orkney stands at five, according to the Scottish Government’s daily figures, last published at 2pm today.

Pete Whitehouse, NRS director of statistical services, said: “All of these deaths are tragic for the families involved. These statistics, when placed alongside the other important evidence being made available by the Scottish Government and Health Protection Scotland (HPS), are valuable to the understanding of the progress and impact of the COVID-19 virus across the country.

“To add context to these statistics, we have updated this week’s publication to include a national breakdown by the location of death, providing additional information on where an individual has died, whether that is in hospital, in a care home, at home or in another location. We have also added information on the trend in deaths by date of death in addition to date of registration.

“We are actively considering how we continue to develop the content of our statistics to ensure they provide the most useful information possible and add value to the understanding of how the virus is spreading throughout Scotland.”

The publication Deaths involving coronavirus (COVID-19) in Scotland and an infographic summary is available on the NRS website.