50 more Covid deaths in Scotland on 9 December

The First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, has confirmed that a further 50 people died from Covid in the country.

The First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, has confirmed that a further 50 people died from Covid in the country yesterday 9 December.

Scotland Covid deaths up 50

Total confirmed Covid cases in Scotland have also risen to 103,305 which is an increase of 933 in the last day.

The official Covid death toll in Scotland is now 4039, although weekly figures on suspected Covid deaths recorded by National Records of Scotland indicate that the most up-to-date total is now 5991 at the very least.

984 people are in hospital with confirmed or suspected Covid according to management information reported by NHS boards across Scotland, 52 patients of which are in intensive care.

During First Minister’s Questions on Thursday, Sturgeon said that the latest data showed the R number – the average number of people infected by each person with Covid– had “fallen further below one” which shows that the restrictions in place are “having the desired effect”.

16 local authority areas will drop down a level in Scotland’s multi-tier system on Friday, including 11 areas which were in the toughest level 4 restrictions. Sturgeon emphasised the need for “caution”.

The First Minister also announced that 5330 people had received their first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine since the start of the vaccine rollout on Tuesday. Vaccinations all over Scotland with the exception of Shetland and the Western Isles.

Weekly updates will be published, documenting the number of Scots who have received the jabs, from next Wednesday, the First Minister added. She told MSPs: “We can all be hopeful the start of vaccinations does mark the beginning of the end of the pandemic for Scotland. But the coming months will still be really difficult and all of us should do everything we can to keep ourselves and loved ones safe.”