More people in hospital with Covid-19

The number of people in hospital with coronavirus rose in the week to Sunday, according to the latest figures.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) data shows there were on average 664 patients in hospital with Covid-19 in the week ending September 25, a 5.2% increase on the previous week.

However the number of admissions to intensive care units (ICU) with a laboratory confirmed test of Covid-19 fell.

In the week ending September 25, there were eight such admissions to ICU, down nine on the previous week when there were 17.

There were 248 new Covid-19 admissions to hospital in the seven days to Sunday, down from 254 the previous week, according to provisional figures.

The latest PHS report also shows that to date, 45,098 Covid-19 vaccinations have been given in 32,314 pregnancies to 31,903 women.

It said Covid-19 cases occurring in unvaccinated women are much more likely to be associated with a hospital or critical care admission.

Among the 149 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in pregnancy occurring in December 2020 to April 2022 that were associated with a critical care admission, 129 (87%) occurred in unvaccinated women.

The PHS report also said that preliminary data suggests Covid-19 in pregnancy “may be associated with an increased risk of perinatal mortality and preterm birth, in particular among babies born shortly after the onset of maternal infection”.

It advises that Covid-19 vaccination is the “safest and most effective way for women to protect themselves and their babies against severe Covid-19”.