ANOTHER five lives have been lost to Covid-19 in Renfrewshire, latest figures show.

Data released by National Records of Scotland, covering the week ending January 16, has revealed the total number of fatalities in the area since the pandemic began 22 months ago has increased to 625.

The last time a higher number of lives were lost to coronavirus in Renfrewshire was back in the final week of October 2021, when seven deaths were recorded.

A total of 25 out of Scotland’s 32 council areas had at least one Covid death in the latest weekly figures.

North Lanarkshire was worst hit, with 14 deaths recorded, followed by South Lanarkshire (13) and Edinburgh (12).

The figures include all fatalities registered where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate and, as this includes suspected or probable cases, it differs from the lab-confirmed coronavirus deaths announced daily by the Scottish Government.

Across Scotland as a whole, the death toll increased by 132 in the weekly figures, pushing it up to 12,675.

A total of 20 of those who lost their life were aged under 65, while a further 21 were between 65 and 74 and there were 91 deaths involving people aged 75 or over.

Of the 132 deaths recorded, 77 took place in hospitals, while 45 were in care homes and 10 were at home or in a non-institutional setting.