As at 4th October, 4,276 deaths have been registered in Scotland where the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was mentioned on the death certificate, according to statistics published by National Records of Scotland (NRS) today.

Between 28th September and 4th October, 20 deaths were registered that mentioned COVID-19 on the death certificate, representing an increase of 10 deaths from last week.

Of these deaths, six occurred in a care homes, 13 in hospitals and one in another institution.

To place these statistics in context, the total number of all-cause deaths registered between 28th September to 4th October was 1,188, which is 14% higher than the average over the previous five years.

Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services, said:

“Every death is a source of grief and heartbreak and represents unimaginable loss for all those who have lost loved ones due to this virus.

“The latest figures show that the number of people dying from COVID-19 remains low especially when compared to the peak week in mid-April when 661 COVID-19 related deaths were registered.

“However, over the last week we have seen the number of deaths increase from 10 to 20.

“NRS will continue to monitor COVID-19 mortality and work with Scottish Government to understand the impact and spread of the virus in Scotland.”