60% of positive hospital cases admitted due to Covid in two health boards

Some 60% of positive cases admitted to hospital in two health board areas in Scotland were because of coronavirus, a new analysis shows.

Questions have swirled over the severity of the new Omicron variant, which is believed to make up as much as 90% of all cases in Scotland.

But figures released of a preliminary analysis carried out by Public Health Scotland appear to show a continued threat of hospital admission from the virus.

Taking findings from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde on January 1 and 2 and NHS Grampian between December 30 and January 4, 126 patients across the two boards were found to have Covid-19.

Of that number, 60 were definitely in hospital because of the virus, while 15 were defined as “probable” – 60% of the total number.

The analysis found that 51 (40%) patients with Covid-19 in hospital were admitted for another reason.

Analysis undertaken last year found that 68% of people in hospitals then were because of Covid-19.

The study also attempted to track the number of people in hospital because of the new variant, but the number of cases where a variant was identified led to the report urging that the numbers should not be “over-interpreted”.

According to the report, 11 of the 14 people with Omicron in the two boards were because of the new variant, while 12 of 26 patients were admitted due to the Delta variant – figures deemed “too small to draw any substantial conclusion”.

The data was due to be published earlier this week, but a delay was announced by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Wednesday, pushing the publication to Friday to ensure the figures were “robust”.

The largest age cohort in hospital because of Covid-19 in Grampian between December 30 and January 4 and in Glasgow on January 1 and 2 were those aged between 45 and 64, the analysis showed.

This group made up 32% of the admissions definitely or probably because of the virus, followed by 65-79 (23%), 19-44 (21%), 80 and older (19%) and under the age of 18 (5%).

For those in hospital with Covid-19 but for other reasons, the 19-44 age group was the highest (38%), followed by 45-64 (26%), 65-79 and older than 80 were both on 13%, and under-18s made up 11% of the total.

Age was unknown for six of the admissions with the virus.