TWO more Renfrewshire care home residents have died from the coronavirus, according to weekly figures published today.

The National Records of Scotland (NRS) figures show death certificates which included Covid-19 had now climbed to more than 200 in the area.

As well as two deaths in care homes, one resident in hospital also passed away, bringing the pandemic total to 201, three more than a week earlier.

It is a continued slowing of the progress of the health emergency through the area which has seen Renfrewshire one of the hardest hit council areas in Scotland.

Nationally, another 70 deaths were registered in the past week, taking the national total to 4,070.

A total of 32 excess deaths - deaths above the five-year average - were recorded in this week.

Nationally, half of all registered deaths involving Covid-19 in this week occurred in care homes and the number of deaths in care homes fell for a seventh week, by seven to 35.

The statistics are published weekly and account for all deaths registered in Scotland where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

They differ from the lab-confirmed coronavirus deaths announced daily by the Scottish Government because they include suspected or probable cases of Covid-19.

People living in the most deprived areas of Scotland were 2.1 times more likely to die with Covid-19 than those living in the least deprived areas, NRS data shows.

The statistics also show that of those who died with coronavirus in May, 92 per cent had at least one pre-existing condition.

The most common pre-existing condition was dementia and Alzheimer's disease, which accounted for 38 per cent of all deaths involving the virus, followed by ischaemic heart disease, which accounts for 11 per cent of all deaths.

Among working people aged between 20-64, process, plant and machine operatives were most likely to die with Covid-19, accounting for 43 deaths and an age-standardised death rate of 25.1 per 100,000 population.

Read all the latest from Renfrewshire and beyond

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