Covid in Scotland: Infections fall to one in 13 people

Covid infections have continued to fall in Scotland, according to official estimates.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that one in 13 people tested positive for Covid in the week ending 3 April.

That was an estimated 396,800 people - down from 451,200 the previous week.

The highest level of infection recorded by the weekly Covid-19 Infection Survey was in mid-March, when about one in eleven people in Scotland had Covid.

The most recent ONS figures show the infection levels in England and Wales were at one in 13, while in Northern Ireland the proportion had dropped to one in 16.

The figures include all variants of the Covid-19 virus, the most commonly detected across the UK being Omicron BA.2.

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This wave of Omicron is far less deadly than those before mass vaccination, but the sheer number of people catching the virus is still contributing to pressure on the NHS.

Sarah Crofts, head of analytical outputs for the Covid-19 Infection Survey, said they had "seen a welcome decrease in Scotland".

She added: "It is too early to say if infections have peaked in England and Scotland. We will continue to monitor the data closely."

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