Covid: Deadly toll of virus in East Dunbartonshire

As the Herald went to press on Wednesday, March 23, end-of-life charity Marie Curie commemorated the day – two years after the first UK-wide lockdown – as the National Day of Reflection.

The charity urged people to come together to remember the lives of those lost.

Figures from the National Records of Scotland show that 333 deaths involving Covid-19 were recorded in East Dunbartonshire by March 13.

Of these, 208 occurred in 2020 and 107 in 2021, while 18 have occurred so far this year.

The deadliest week of the pandemic so far came in the week beginning May 4 2020, when 22 people lost their lives in East Dunbartonshire.

The deaths in the area were among 13,563 registered across Scotland up to March 12.

Claire Collins, Marie Curie's bereavement coordinator, said: "There are still millions of people living with the deep trauma of losing a loved one."

A minute's silence was held at midday on Wednesday and people were encouraged to shine a light at 8pm or display flowers in their window to show support.

Separate figures from the UK coronavirus daily dashboard reveal the rate of deaths in East Dunbartonshire within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test – a different measure than that used by the NRS.

On March 16, the cumulative death rate – which covers the entire pandemic – stood at 231.7 deaths per 100,000 people in the area – compared to 202.6 across Scotland.

The Health Foundation said there have been notably higher excess deaths in the UK over the pandemic compared to the rest of Europe, with some communities particularly hard hit.

Dr Jennifer Dixon, chief executive of the charity, said: "Working age adults in the poorest parts of the country were almost four times more likely to die from Covid-19 than those in the wealthiest areas.

"We owe it to those who lost their lives and their families to understand why, and how to build greater resilience against future threats to our health.”