COVID-19 weekly report for Scotland
- Coronavirus (COVID-19)
This week’s report highlights that, as at 16 January 2022, there have been 1,097,158 confirmed COVID-19 cases by PCR (polymerase chain reaction) only. 27,944 of these cases were recorded in the most recent week, a decrease of 65.2% from the previous week.
As detailed last week, in addition to reporting the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 through a PCR test, Public Health Scotland (PHS) has also begun reporting a combined figure for the number of people who have recorded a first positive PCR or an LFD (lateral flow device) test. From 06 January 2022 to 16 January 2022 there have been 123,573 people in Scotland who have tested positive for COVID-19 on either a PCR or LFD test.
This week’s report also details that hospital and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admissions have both decreased, with the highest number of new admissions in those aged 80+.
In the week ending 16 January 2022 there were 31 new admissions to ICUs with a laboratory confirmed test of COVID-19, a decrease of 46.3% from the previous week.
The proportion of all people who were admitted to hospital within 14 days of a laboratory confirmed COVID-19 positive test has also declined.
On 7 January 2022, PHS published an initial review of clinical audit data on the causes of hospital admission for people with a recent COVID-19 diagnosis.
Today’s report includes a further update for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Grampian, with new data from NHS Dumfries and Galloway included too. The interim report shows that 63% of acute hospital admissions were determined to be ‘because of’ COVID-19, as opposed to ‘with’ COVID-19.
Furthermore, people aged 65 and older account for 42% of all hospital admissions ‘because of’ COVID-19.
The report also finds that a similar proportion of people with Omicron (57%) and Delta (59%) were admitted to hospital ‘because of’ their infections.
A final report describing the proportion of people in hospital ‘because of’ or ‘with’ COVID-19 will be published on 26 January 2022.
For more information on how to interpret the COVID-19 Statistical Report data on cases, hospitalisations and deaths from COVID-19 by vaccine status, please read our latest blog by Dr Diane Stockton, Consultant at Public Health Scotland.