There were 40 confirmed or suspected coronavirus deaths in the week to Sunday, the same as the previous week, according to the latest figures.

Data from National Records of Scotland (NRS) shows that of those who died, 30 were aged 75 or older, four were aged 65 to 74 and six were under 65.

In the week to Sunday, 31 of the deaths were in hospitals, six were in care homes, and three were at home or a non-institutional setting.

As of September 18, there have been 15,702 deaths registered in Scotland where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

The age standardised death rate for deaths involving Covid-19 was lower in August 2022 (45 per 100,000) compared to July 2022 (79 per 100,000).

The NRS report said the difference between the last two months was “statistically significant”.

Throughout the pandemic, the highest rate was 585 deaths per 100,000 people in April 2020.

Of the 15,632 deaths involving Covid-19 between March 2020 and August 2022, 93% (14,593) had at least one pre-existing condition, with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease the most common (22%).