Coronavirus (COVID-19) state of the epidemic 10 June 2022

Background

This report summarises the current situation of the Covid-19 epidemic in Scotland. It brings together the different sources of evidence and data about the epidemic in Scotland at this point in time, why we are at that place, and what is likely to happen next. This updates the previous publication published on 26 May 2022^[1]. The information in this document helps the Scottish Government, the health service and the wider public sector respond to the epidemic and put in place what is needed to keep us safe and treat people who have the virus.

This edition of the State of the Epidemic summarises current data on Covid-19 at a national and local level, and how Scotland currently compares to the rest of the UK. It looks at the vaccination program in Scotland and its impact. Information is provided about variants of concern and what impact these may have. Bringing this information together in one place gives the opportunity to better understand the current state of the epidemic in Scotland.

The State of the Epidemic report this week will summarise the situation up to and including 8 June 2022. Due to changes in reporting and testing, certain data sources will have earlier cut-off dates than 8 June. This is highlighted throughout the report in the footnotes of the relevant sections. Additionally, changes in testing policy across Scotland since early April have reduced the availability and reliability of Covid-19 data and indicators that rely on testing, including cases data, hospital admissions and occupancy data. Affected indicators have been marked out and highlighted throughout the report.

Publication Notice

The fortnightly State of the Epidemic report will be discontinued after this publication on 10 June 2022. Analysis of the latest Covid-19 data for Scotland can now be found in the weekly Covid-19 Statistical Report by Public Health Scotland. The Modelling the Epidemic publication, which summarises the main modelling outputs for Scotland, will continue to be published on a fortnightly basis. In the future, State of the Epidemic reports may be published on an ad hoc basis.

We would like to thank those who have read and used the report in their personal and professional lives, and provided feedback on its format and content.

Please note that State of the Epidemic report no longer includes a section on LFD testing or reinfection cases (commentary on this can still be found in the section), and no commentary on Covid-19 cases in different age groups, cases among care home residents, or case rates in Scottish local authorities. This is due to data availability following the implementation of testing policy changes in Scotland.

This edition of the State of the Epidemic Report does not include the estimates of R, growth rate or incidence. Updated figures will be published in the Modelling the Epidemic publication scheduled for 23 June.