Scotland's Excess Death Rate is One of the Highest in the World

The situation in Scotland has been described as 'particularly acute', according to Jamie Jenkins, former head of analysis for the ONS.

He told The Sunday Times that the excess death rate of people in Scotland, which tracks deaths above the normal level, is higher than Italy and the United States, however is lower than the UK as a whole.

Over the course of the pandemic, there have been 4694 excess deaths in Scotland, leaving the country with a rate of 861 cases for every one million people.

Currently, the UK average is 891 deaths per million, whereas Spain has an excess death rate of 921 per million.

However, in Italy, this number is seen at 777 per million, and overseas in the US, where the number of fatalities is highest, the number of excess deaths is around 200 per million.

Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw said: "When you examine the Scottish government's record on delivery, not presentation, it is extremely poor.

"There are now serious concerns that the testing and tracing system will not function properly and a safe return to work will be compromised."

Labour MP Ian Murray said: "This is a damning verdict on the Scottish government's catastrophic handling of the coronavirus pandemic./heraldscotland.com

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