#Covid & #Flu Weekly Update

Published by Public Health Scotland (PHS) on 16th March 2023 is the weekly update on Covid-19 and Respiratory cases in Scotland.

COVID

  • There were on average 919 patients in hospital with COVID-19, a 12.1% increase from the previous week ending 05 March 2023 (820)
  • During the current Winter 2022 vaccination programme a total of 1,988,352 people have been vaccinated for COVID-19 and 1,933,542 adults have been vaccinated for influenza

From the Office of National Statistics (ONS) for the week ending 6 March 2023

The estimated percentage of people testing positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) decreased in Scotland, and the trends were uncertain in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

In Scotland, the estimated number of people testing positive for COVID-19 was 105,100 (95% credible interval: 82,600 to 130,600), equating to 2.00% of the population, or around 1 in 50 people.

ONS ‘will be pausing Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey data collection from mid-March, and as a result the final weekly publication will be published on 24 March 2023. ‘

The PHS report states:

The ONS survey results are Scotland’s current best understanding of community population prevalence.

The most recent waste water analysis for Orkney (Kirkwall) shows an increase in positive levels for fragments of coronavirus’ ribonucleic acid (RNA) 

RNA monitoring

In the week ending 12 March 2023, there were 2,215 reported positive COVID-19 cases (compared to 1,968 in week ending 05 March 2023).

There were 343 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 three NHS Health Boards, and the previous week’s figures have been rolled forward.

Graph Shows the Trend of COVID-19 hospital admissions in Scotland

Trend of COVID-19 hospital admissions in Scotland

There were 35 COVID-19 admissions (3.5%) per 1,000 emergency admissions. The 80+ age group had the highest rate of COVID-19 admissions (5.7%) and the 30-39 age group had the lowest rate (1.3%).

The number of COVID-19 patients in hospital is an indicative measure of the pressure on hospitals, as these patients still require isolation from other patients for infection control purposes.

On average there were 919 patients in hospital with COVID-19 which is a 12.1% increase from the previous week ending 05 March 2023, when on average there were 820 patients.

Number of beds occupied with COVID-19 in hospital each Sunday in Scotland from 17 September 2020 to 12 March 2023

There were 12 new admissions to ICU, an increase of 4 from the previous week (05 March 2023) when there were 8 admissions. Over the past week there were on average 210 patients in ICU, of which 5.7% (12 patients) had a positive SARS-CoV-2 result.

FLU

Influenza remained at Baseline activity level (1.3 per 100,000 population).

In week 10 (week ending 12/03/2023): There were 71 laboratory-confirmed influenza cases: 12 type A (not subtyped), two A(H3) and 57 type B. This compares to 61 laboratory-confirmed cases reported during week 09.

NHS Orkney decreased from Moderate to Baseline activity level.

All Covid rules and restrictions have been lifted in Scotland, but the virus has not gone away. COVID-19, colds and flu can spread more easily in the winter. 

To protect yourself and keep others safe:

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