Coronvirus Scotland: Vaccinated Scots outnumber unvaccinated in latest hospital figures

Infections are also rapidly increasing - up 41 per cent since Scotland scrapped most restrictions and moved to 'Beyond Zero' - while the number of people coming forward for a first vaccination is flatlining. 

In the week ending Friday August 13, Public Health Scotland reports that 115 unvaccinated people were admitted to hospital with Covid compared to 129 people who were fully vaccinated.

Source: Public Health Scotland

However, this partly reflects the fact that the number of fully vaccinated people in the population was more than three times the number of unvaccinated people (3.1 million compared to 951,000), and that fully vaccinated people are also disproportionately older.

Once the statistics are adjusted to take this into account, they show that the incidence of being admitted to hospital with Covid (where a vaccination status was recorded) was four per 100,000 among people who had had both Covid jags, compared to 12 per 100,000 for unvaccinated people.

READ MORE: Why are Covid cases rising when 85% of Scots adults have antibodies?

The figures also show that unvaccinated people were around three times more likely to test positive for Covid last week, at a rate of 397 per 100,000 compared to 110 infections per 100,000 fully vaccinated individuals.

In total, there were 3,471 infections recorded in fully vaccinated people last week compared to 3,775 in unvaccinated people.

It comes as the latest daily data from the Scottish Government shows that there have been 2,538 newly confirmed Covid infections in the past 24 hours - the highest number since mid-July. 

In the past seven days, a total of 11,868 confirmed cases have been reported in Scotland, up 41% compared to the 8,395 reported in the week to August 9, when the country reverted to 'Beyond Zero'. 

Since then, nightclubs have been allowed to reopen for the first time in 17 months and physical distancing and capacity limits are no longer in place indoors or outside at hospitality and leisure venues such as pubs, restaurants, cinemas, and football stadiums, although face coverings continue to be required in enclosed public spaces such as shops and trains. 

Meanwhile, fewer than 36,000 people (35,842) have come forward for a first vaccination dose since August 9, increasing total population coverage by just 0.9%. 

Around one in four people aged 18 to 29 - some 216,000 people - remain unvaccinated, along with around 18% of people aged 30 to 39 and 10% of those aged 40 to 49. 

Source: Public Health Scotland

It comes as the PHS report also shows that Covid-related admissions to hospital are continuing to fall - but older people are making up an increasing percentage. 

In the week ending August 10 - the most recent for which a breakdown is available - a total of 289 people were admitted to hospital who had tested positive for Covid up to 14 days prior, down from a peak of 609 in early July.

Of these, 139 (48 per cent) were aged 60 or older, up from 35% in June.

Older people are making up a growing share of hospital admissions again as the proportion of younger people protected by vaccination increases, reducing the likelihood of them catching the virus or becoming sick in the event of infection.

READ MORE: Virus will keep spreading even if everyone is fully vaccinated, says disease expert

By the end of July, around 4% of confirmed Covid infections were resulting in a hospital admission within the subsequent 14 days.

This compares to a peak of 13% in January, when vaccination rates were low, but is also up slightly from around 3% earlier in the summer.

This appears to tie in with a growing share of virus cases occurring among the older population - who are more likely to become sick - from July 1 onwards, rising from around 24% to 35% by the start of August.

The PHS report also notes that between December 29 and August 5, there have been a total of 206 Covid deaths among patients who were more than 14 days on from their second dose vaccination at the time they tested positive for the infection.

It adds that the risk of death "is strongly linked to age", with 83% of these patients aged 70 or older.

In addition, of the 98.5% where a medical history is known, "all had several co-morbidities which contributed to their deaths".

Overall, however, the incidence of a Covid death in Scotland among fully vaccinated individuals is just 0.007% - or seven per 100,000 - but there have been none at all among those under 40, compared to 26 among unvaccinated people in this age group.