The number of people who died with confirmed or suspected coronavirus in Scotland has fallen for a fourth consecutive week.

A total of 3779 coronavirus-related deaths had been recorded in the country as of May 24 according to National Records of Scotland (NRS) figures.

There were 230 deaths related to Covid-19 registered between May 18 and 24, a decrease of 105 from the previous seven days and the fourth consecutive weekly drop.

The NRS figures are published weekly and account for all fatalities registered in Scotland when Covid-19 is mentioned on the death certificate.

They differ from the lab-confirmed coronavirus deaths announced daily by the Scottish Government using Health Protection Scotland (HPS) figures because they include suspected or probable cases of Covid-19.

Here, we set out the current coronavirus situation in Scotland in five simple to understand graphs and charts.


1. Total deaths

East Lothian Courier:

This graph shows the reduction in the month-long reduction in the number of coronavirus cases in Scotland.

Every week for the last four weeks there has been a reduction in the number of deaths announced each week.

As of May 24, there were 3779 cases in Scotland where coronavirus was mentioned on the death certificate as a contributing factor.

2. Deaths by health board of residence

East Lothian Courier:

This chart sets out the number of coronavirus-related deaths per health board.

Greater Glasgow and Clyde remains, as it has since the start of the pandemic, the board with the most deaths - with 1232 deaths (10.4 per 10,000 population).

In Ayrshire and Arran there have been 262 deaths (7.1 per 10,000 population), and 649 in Lothian (7.2 per 10,000 population).

3. Deaths by age group

East Lothian Courier:

This graph sets out the number of coronavirus-related deaths in each age group.

The most number of deaths, 43%, come in the 85+ age group - which equated to 1621 since the outbreak began.

On the opposite end of the scale, there have been 23 deaths of people aged 15-44.

4. Deaths per location

East Lothian Courier:

The majority of coronavirus-linked deaths across Scotland in the week to May 24 were in care homes at 54%, down from 55% the previous week.

The number of deaths in care homes also fell for a fourth week in a row, down by 62 in a week to 124.

The NRS figures also show 41% of registered deaths involving coronavirus between May 18 and 24 were in hospitals, up from 38% the previous week, while 4% were at home or in non-institutional settings, down from 5% the week before.

5. Deaths by council area

East Lothian Courier:

This final table outlines the number of coronavirus deaths per council area - setting out the different locations for each.

'Other insitutions' in this case includes clinics, medical centres, prisons and schools.

This graph shows, as expected, Glasgow City Council has recorded the most deaths so far with 602.

On the other end of the table, Orkney has only recorded two deaths.

East Lothian Courier:

Speaking about the NRS figures, Nicola Sturgeon told MSPs at Holyrood: “These trends, which have now been sustained for over four weeks, do definitely give us grounds for encouragement.

“The weekly number of Covid deaths has fallen by more than 60% from its peak.

“Excess deaths have reduced more than three-quarters and deaths in care homes are also falling.”

She added: “Tomorrow, we will take a formal decision on whether to begin cautiously to emerge from lockdown.

“Any early steps are likely to focus on outdoor activities and we will provide full information on what businesses should and should not be doing.

“But I stress even if some restrictions are relaxed later this week it will continue to be essential to follow guidance – for example, to stay two metres apart from people from other households and to self-isolate if you have symptoms.”