A FURTHER 31 coronavirus deaths were registered in Scotland over the last 24 hours, the deputy first minister has confirmed.
Speaking at today’s Scottish Government Covid-19 briefing John Swinney said the total number of deaths recorded under the official measurement – where a person dies within 28 days of a positive test – now stands at 6916.
Swinney also revealed there had been a further 885 positive cases identified, accounting for 4.4% of all tests. It is the second day in a row where the rate has been below 5%.
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He said the latest Office for National Statistics infection survey confirmed that the positivity rate is in decline, adding it found that during the week beginning February 6 it was estimated one in 180 people in Scotland had Covid-19.
That was the lowest rate of all four nations – in England the rate was one in 115, in Wales it was one in 125 people and in Northern Ireland it was one in 105 people.
The deputy first minister said this “provides further indication that the lockdown restrictions are having the desired effect”.
Of today’s new cases 267 were in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 166 were in Lanarkshire and 163 were in Lothian – the remaining cases were spread across nine other health board areas.
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There were 1222 people in hospital with the virus, a decrease of 39 on the previous day, and 98 people in intensive care, an increase of three.
On vaccinations, Swinney said that as of 8.30am today a total of 1,386,152 people had received their first dose.
That represented an increase of 31,186 on the previous day. He added that first doses have now been offered to all over-70s, all care home residents, all frontline health workers and all people with a serious clinical vulnerability.
Take-up among these groups has been very high but he stressed people can still receive their first dose if they are eligible and are yet to get the jag.
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