Coronavirus in Scotland: Nicola Sturgeon hails 'strong and compelling evidence' that vaccines are reducing Covid deaths

Nicola Sturgeon today hailed a fall in the proportion of Covid deaths in Scotland’s care homes as proof that the vaccines are having a positive effect.

Nicola Sturgeon was speaking at the daily briefing

She said there was now “strong and compelling evidence” that the vaccination programme was reducing the number of people dying with Covid.

Speaking at the daily coronavirus briefing, the First Minister said yesterday’s National Registers of Scotland figures showed a 62 per cent reduction in the number of Covid deaths in care homes over the past three weeks.

She said: “That is a larger decline than we have seen for the deaths happening in hospitals or in people’s own homes.

“As a result of that, the proportion of Covid deaths taking place in care homes has fallen from 34 per cent around the start of this year to 13 per cent last week.

"And with the exception of one week at the end of August, when there were only two Covid deaths registered overall, care homes accounted for a smaller proportion of Covid deaths last week than at any time since March of last year, in other words since virtually the beginning of the pandemic.

"So that does give us quite strong confidence now that the early vaccination of care home residents and the focus on trying to maximise uptake within older people’s care homes is now having the impact we desperately hoped to see it have.

“This initial indication the vaccination is starting to protect people is undoubtedly really positive news and we hope the signs of that protective effect will strengthen in the weeks ahead.”

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