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THERE have been another 10 deaths in Renfrewshire care homes linked to the coronavirus as the rate of fatalities continues to slow.
The total number of death certificates up to May 17 for those in care facilities citing Covid-19 has risen to 79 from 69 a week earlier, said the National Records of Scotland (NRS).
Another seven residents died in hospital in the week bringing the total to 160 since the crisis began, the sixth highest total in Scotland.
Across Scotland there were 332 deaths relating to Covid-19 registered between May 11 and 17, a decrease of 83 from the previous seven days and the third consecutive weekly drop.
The majority of coronavirus-linked deaths across Scotland in the week to May 17 were in care homes - at 55 per cent, down from 57 per cent the previous week.
NRS figures differ from the lab-confirmed coronavirus deaths announced daily by the Scottish Government using Health Protection Scotland (HPS) figures because they include suspected or probable cases of Covid-19.
The total number of deaths registered in Scotland from May 11 to 17 was 1,415 - 33 per cent more than the average number of deaths registered in the same week over the last five years (1,064).
Covid-19 was the underlying cause of death in 85 per cent of the 351 excess deaths, down from 96 per cent the previous week.
Three-quarters (75 per cent) of registered deaths involving Covid-19 to date were people aged 75 or over.
The NRS figures also show 38 per cent of registered deaths involving Covid-19 between May 11 and 17 were in hospitals, up from 37 per cent the previous week, while 6 per cent were at home or in non-institutional settings, up from 5 per cent the week before.
Pete Whitehouse, NRS director of statistical services, said: "These latest figures show that for the third week running since reporting of registered deaths relating to Covid-19 began there has been a reduction in Covid-19-related deaths."
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