Deaths from Covid among younger people in Scotland are outnumbering those among the over-65s for the first time since the pandemic began.
Just six deaths linked to the disease were registered in Scotland last week, the lowest number since early September.
In stark contrast to trends since March 2020, however, five of the six deaths registered by National Records of Scotland occurred in people younger than 65 - four among individuals aged 45 to 64 and one in the 15 to 44 age band.
This reportedly involved a woman in her 20s from Perth and Kinross, who had no underlying health conditions.
The remainder occurred in Glasgow and North Lanarkshire.
The sixth death was a person aged 75 to 84.
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Since the first known fatal coronavirus infection in Scotland last year, under-65s have accounted for only 11 per cent of Covid deaths - 1,132 out of a total of 10,109.
However, the rollout of the vaccination programme has helped to drive down mortality much faster among the high-risk oldest Scots who were prioritised for the jags compared to younger age groups.
Public Health Scotland data shows that just over 95 per cent of over-65s in Scotland are now fully vaccinated with both doses, compared to fewer than 21% of under-65s.
The majority of under-50s in Scotland are still waiting for their first inoculation.
The NRS report also reveals that three deaths have been recorded in Scotland "where the underlying cause of death was adverse effects of Covid-19 vaccines".
NRS said the deaths were in the context of 2.81 million people having been given at least one dose of a vaccine by April 30.
It comes amid signs of a rapid increase in the numbers of people being treated for Covid in hospital in the Glasgow area, where a surge in infections is believed to have been driven by the so-called 'Indian variant' sub-strain B1.617.2.
It is believed to be around 50% more transmissible than the previously dominant 'Kent' variant.
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Scottish Government figures show that the number of Covid patients in hospitals in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has doubled in recent days, from 21 on Sunday to 41 today.
Separate data from Public Health Scotland indicates that the bulk of admissions nationally are occurring among younger people.
In the week to May 12, there were 52 hospital admissions among people aged 25 to 64 - up from 29 during the previous week. Like deaths, admissions have continued to decline in older people.
It comes amid a push in Glasgow to track down and vaccinate anyone who did not take up offers for their first or second inoculations.
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People aged 18-39 in postcodes in the south of the city where virus rates are highest are also being invited to book appointments, while door-to-door testing continues in a bid to identify and isolate as many cases as possible.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is also finalising plans to bring forward second doses for those aged 50 and over in the worst affected areas of the city.
However, Scotland's national clinical director Professor Jason Leitch cautioned that vaccines would take weeks to induce an immune response.
He said: "Remember vaccination takes three weeks to work so it doesn't help us tomorrow - testing, distancing, all those things we're so familiar with, they help us tomorrow.
"So we're testing everything that moves, we're putting it through letter boxes, we're setting up testing clinics in mosques and community centres, so if you live in these areas where the numbers are rising, get tested, get the positive tests off the street, then we can get a hold of it and then Glasgow and the other areas can continue on the route map."
In Pollokshields, the epicentre of the Glasgow outbreak, there are signs of a slowdown with the case rate in the area falling for the second day in a row.
However the city's overall rate is still climbing, at 110 per 100,000.
Meanwhile, Boris Johnson told MPs there is "increasing confidence" that Covid-19 vaccines are effective against all variants, including the Indian one.
Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions, he said fresh data had been reviewed this morning.
He said: "We've looked at the data again this morning and I can tell the House we have increasing confidence that vaccines are effective against all variants, including the Indian variant."
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