Scottish Government says 4,061 people advised to shield from covid have died

Over 4,000 people who were advised to shield from coronavirus have died, according to the Scottish Government.

However, ministers have been criticised after saying they do not hold information on the causes of death.

Labour MSP Monica Lennon said: “As the shielding programme comes to a pause it’s unacceptable that the Scottish Government can’t confirm how many people on their high-risk list died of COVID-19.

“This is typical of the Scottish Government’s aversion to transparency and whilst a review by Public Health Scotland is welcome, a full breakdown of the 4000 plus shielding deaths should be published as soon as possible."

People across the UK who were judged to be clinically at high risk from covid-19 were advised to shield in March.

Jeane Freeman (Getty Images)

The shielders have underlying health conditions and they were advised to self-isolate and reduce all interactions with other people, including not leaving their homes.

The restrictions have gradually been lifted and the Scottish Government website says the policy will be paused imminently:

“From 1 August, we are advising people who have been shielding that they currently no longer need to do so. This means that in general, people who have been shielding can now follow the same advice as everyone else in Scotland.”

In a question to the Scottish Government, Lennon asked how many people on the covid-19 shielding list had died, and what information it had on how many people had passed away from conditions other than the virus.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman responded: “As at 29 June, we have been informed by Public Health Scotland that 4,061 people who have been advised to shield have sadly died. The Scottish Government does not hold information about the cause of death of those who have died. As at 29 June, there are 181,075 people who are being advised to shield.”

Freeman added: “Those who have been advised to shield are considered to be at highest risk of severe illness if they become infected with coronavirus because of an underlying health condition. There is likely to be an increased different cause mortality rate amongst people with such underlying health conditions.

“The Scottish Government has asked Public Health Scotland to evaluate the shielding programme. The evaluation will aim to explore the effectiveness of shielding - which would include analysis of data regarding deaths in the shielding cohort.”

Lennon said: “Serious mistakes on the Health Secretary’s watch resulted in 18,000 Scots being wrongly told they no longer needed to shield. We need to know that the shielding programme was proportionate, properly resourced and that people got access to the NHS and social care when they needed it.”