Flu deaths double in one week, figures show

The number of deaths registered where flu was the underlying cause has more than doubled in a week, new figures show.

Statistics released by the National Records of Scotland show 67 deaths were recorded in the week to December 15 where flu was the underlying cause, up from 30 the previous week.

The NRS figures show 76 death certificates mentioned flu in the latest week, up from 37 the previous week.

The statistics come as data from Public Health Scotland highlighted a sharp drop in the number of flu cases overall.

The figures released on Thursday show 1,918 recorded cases of flu in Scotland in the week to December 14, down from 2,410 the previous week.

The figures also show a test positivity rate of 22.9%, down from this year’s peak the previous week of 27.6%.

The rate of flu per 100,000 of the population also fell from 43.4 to 34.6.

Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “Vaccination remains the best protection against the virus.

As flu typically peaks in late December or January, driven by the socialising we do over Christmas and new year, I would urge those eligible to get vaccinated as soon as possible to help protect each other and our NHS this winter.

“Evidence shows that this year’s vaccine does a good job of preventing hospital admissions for the strains currently circulating.

“As of December 14, more than 1.3 million adult flu vaccines have been delivered – over 112,000 more than this point last winter.

“The total number of flu vaccinations delivered this season, including over 499,000 children’s vaccines, is more than 1.8 million.

“We are taking a range of measures to ensure our health service is as resilient as possible over the next few months and £20 million has been allocated for health board initiatives to increase social care capacity and relieve pressure on acute services.”