One in 45 Scots had Covid last week and infection trend ‘unclear’, data shows

Around one in 45 people in private households in Scotland had Covid-19 last week, according to the latest estimates.

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows an estimated 117,100 people north of the border had the virus in the week ending February 21.

This equates to 2.22% of the population, or about one in 45 people – the same number as the previous week.

However the ONS said the infection trend in Scotland is “uncertain”.

Michelle Bowen, ONS head of health surveillance dissemination, said: “This week’s data shows infections have continued to increase in England and Wales, though positivity has decreased in Northern Ireland and the trend in Scotland is unclear.

“It’s a mixed picture across English regions and age groups.

“Though infections have decreased in school-aged children for a second week, they continue to rise for those aged 25 to 49 years and in the over-70s.”

In England and Wales, an estimated one in 45 people had Covid-19 in the week ending February 21, while in Northern Ireland it was around one in 90.