Covid in Scotland: QEUH records the most Covid deaths

The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow has recorded the most Covid deaths in Scotland, new data shows.

National Records of Scotland (NRS) figures show hospitals in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board area have seen the most deaths.

The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH), which is Scotland's biggest hospital, had 809 fatalities.

Glasgow's Royal Infirmary had the second highest rate with 628 deaths.

The Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley has had 425 Covid-related fatalities and Edinburgh's Royal Infirmary has recorded 368 deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to the NRS figures.

The QEUH has seen more Covid patients than any other hospital in Scotland and three of the six units on its critical care floor were almost full of Covid patients at some points during the pandemic.

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Dr Scott Davidson, of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said: "As Scotland's largest health board area, just under a third of all Covid infections have been recorded within Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and as a result, our largest hospitals have, unfortunately, also seen the highest number of people to sadly die after being infected with Covid-19."

He added that the region had a high proportion of the most deprived areas and that those living in deprived areas are more likely to get Covid, and are at higher risk of more serious illness.

Dr Davidson also pointed out that Greater Glasgow and Clyde is "home to a significant minority ethnic population and we know that some ethnicities have increased risk of death from Covid-19".

The NRS data shows Ninewells Hospital in Dundee had 340 coronavirus fatalities, while the University Hospital Crosshouse in Kilmarnock, had 339.

A total of 362 deaths took place in Lanarkshire's University Hospital Wishaw, while Aberdeen Royal Infirmary recorded the most deaths in the NHS Grampian area with 261.

There were 315 deaths at Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert, while there were 210 at the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, Fife.

Almost a third (30%) of people who have died with Covid lived in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board area, according to NRS data, with 17% in Lanarkshire and 14% in Lothian.

Staff at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow were treating hundreds Covid patients at the peak of the pandemic

NRS published the data along with its weekly breakdown of Covid deaths.

It shows that 10,114 people have now died in Scotland with confirmed or suspected coronavirus.

A total of four deaths relating to the virus were registered between 17 May and 23 May, down two on the previous week.

Latest infection rate figures

This is the lowest weekly total since September 2020.

Two of these deaths were in South Lanarkshire, one in East Dunbartonshire and one in Falkirk.

Separate Covid figures published by the Scottish government show there have been 546 new cases of Covid-19 detected, the highest figure since late March, but this may partly reflect the relatively high number of tests being carried out.

The daily test positivity rate at 2.1%.

A total of 98 people were in hospital with a recently confirmed Covid case as of Tuesday, up one from Monday, with six patients in intensive care, which is no change on the previous day.

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