Covid in Scotland: Where are the latest cases?

There have been 647,689 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Scotland and 9,189 people have died following a positive test for the virus, according to the Scottish government.

This page analyses the key figures for the Covid pandemic in Scotland and was last updated using figures available at 14:00 on 2 November.

Over the past seven days 17,906 cases have been reported, with 2,010 cases confirmed on Tuesday.

The next chart shows the number of positive cases confirmed since 1 January 2021 and uses Public Health Scotland (PHS) data.

The figures are based on the date of the test rather than when the test result was reported, which is the daily figure given out by the Scottish government.

Because of the time it takes to process the tests and submit records, the most recent figures in this chart are from four days ago.

The actual number of people infected during the course of the outbreak will be far higher than the overall confirmed cases figure, as many people who have Covid-19 are not tested.

This next chart shows the average number of positive cases being detected each day has been changing in Scotland over the last few weeks.

The number of positive cases in each local authority is published daily by Public Health Scotland.

Recent data often underestimates the number of positive tests as there are sometimes delays before results are recorded, so this chart uses figures from three days ago.

The Scottish government also publishes the figures on the number of cases across Scotland's 14 health boards.

The World Health Organization highlights the percentage of positive test results as a key indicator when assessing the status of a Covid-19 outbreak within a country.

Its guidance says a weekly positivity rate which is kept below 2% is one indication that community transmission of Covid-19 is at low levels.

Other indicators include the number of cases, Covid-related deaths and hospital admissions per 100,000 people.

The Scottish government measures the positivity rate by dividing the number of positive tests per day by the total number of tests carried out.

The first coronavirus death in Scotland was reported by NHS Lothian on 13 March 2020.

The spring outbreak peaked in mid-April 2020 and then mainly declined until the summer, when Scotland went for a long period when there were no deaths following a positive test for Covid-19.

The rate of new deaths rose again in the autumn as the second wave of the pandemic took hold, finally peaking at the end of January 2021.

The chart below shows data relating to the actual date of death, rather than registration of deaths, so the most recent figures are subject to revision.

There are three ways to count deaths from Covid-19.

The Scottish government's daily announcement counts deaths within 28 days of a positive test for Covid-19, whereas the National Records of Scotland (NRS) counts all death certificates that mention Covid-19, even if the person has not been tested for the virus.

The NRS also publishes monthly data on excess deaths, compared with a five-year average.

Excess deaths from most causes rose significantly in 2020 - the exception was deaths from respiratory diseases, where the number was much lower than average.

The first Covid-19 vaccinations in Scotland were administered on 8 December.

Currently the Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines are being given in Scotland, with each requiring two doses.

Booster doses are also now being offered to the people most vulnerable to Covid illness.

Older age groups were prioritised in Scotland's vaccination programme, in line with the strategy set out by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

All adults in Scotland should now have been offered at least a first dose and the programme to vaccinate 12-17 year olds has begun.

The coronavirus pandemic has created a huge load on Scotland's hospitals.

At the peak of the outbreak in spring 2020 there were more than 1,500 Covid patients in hospital, with over 200 being treated in intensive care.

Numbers reduced over the summer of 2020, but started to rise steadily again last autumn. In January 2021, the number of Covid patients in hospital went over 2,000.

Only patients who test positive during their current stay in hospital, or in the two weeks before their admission, are counted by the Scottish government as Covid-19 patients.

They are no longer classified as Covid patients after 28 days in hospital or 28 days after their positive test, whichever is later.

However, the Scottish government also publishes figures on Covid-19 patients who have been treated in intensive care for more than 28 days.

The R number, or reproduction number, is a way of rating a disease's ability to spread. It is the average number of people that one infected person will pass the virus on to.

If the reproduction number is higher than one, then the number of cases increases exponentially.

The Scottish government has been monitoring the estimated R number in Scotland since the start of the outbreak.

Figures for charts from the Scottish government, National Records of Scotland and the World Health Organization.