The latest update from Public Health Scotland published on 19th of October 2022

• In Scotland, in the week ending 29 September 2022, the estimated number of people testing positive for COVID-19 was 109,700 (95% credible interval: 90,400 to 131,200), equating to 2.08% of the population, or around 1 in 50 people (Source: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey, UK – Office for National Statistics)
• In the week ending 16 October 2022, there were on average 875 patients in hospital with COVID-19, a 3.9% increase from the previous week ending 09 October 2022 (842)
• In the week ending 16 October 2022 there were 12 new admissions to Intensive Care Units (ICUs) with a laboratory confirmed test of COVID-19, a decrease of 7 from the previous week (09 October 2022)
• In the week ending 09 October 2022, there were 36 deaths involving COVID-19 (9 fewer than the previous week) (Source: National Records of Scotland)
• By week ending 16 October 2022 of the 871,124 people vaccinated for COVID-19 as part of the Winter 2022 vaccination programme, 93.9% were vaccinated for Flu at the same vaccination appointment 
• To monitor progress towards the planned care targets for long waits, this week’s publication includes information on those patients waiting longer than two years for an inpatient or day case admission, which have largely arisen due to reduced service capacity during the pandemic. At 30 September 2022, there were 7,650 patients (of a total of 141,991) waiting longer than two years for admission as an inpatient or day case

The response to the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have a wider impact on health and care as a result of the lockdown, economic pressures and changes to health services.

Testing for traces of non-infective Covid-19 ribonucleic acid (RNA) in Kirkwall waste water :

A ‘Positive (DNQ)’ description is given to the sample where the average value of the three replicates is between the LoD and the LoQ (i.e. between 1,316 and 11,386 gene copies per litre).  The Description of DNQ stands for Detected, Not Quantifiable (in a statistically significant way).  Finally, a ‘Positive’ description is given where the average of the three replicates is above the Limit of Quantification and therefore gives a strong, quantifiable, positive result. RNA Monitoring

In the latest week ending 16 October 2022, there were 236 new COVID-19 admissions to hospital. Hospital admissions for the most recent week are provisional and should be treated with caution. At the time of publication there were no data available for two NHS Boards (Highland and Shetland) , and the previous week’s figures have been rolled forward. These provisional data will be refreshed next week.

For every 1,000 emergency admissions there were 24 COVID-19 admissions (2.4%) in all age groups. In the same week, the 80+ age group had the highest rate of COVID-19 admissions (4.4%) and the 18-29 age group had the lowest rate (0.3%).

All covid rules and restrictions have been lifted in Scotland, but the virus has not gone away. 

We all need to keep playing our part to protect ourselves and others. You can do this by:

• getting the flu and COVID-19 vaccines if offered, to ensure you are fully protected
• staying at home if you’re unwell with symptoms or have a fever
• opening windows when socialising indoors
• wearing a face covering in indoor public places and on public transport
• washing your hands to protect yourself

Care for yourself and others to help slow down the spread of the virus and reduce pressure on our health services.