1,157 further coronavirus cases and two more deaths recorded in North Lanarkshire

File photo dated 21/12/2021 of a nurse puts on PPE in a ward for Covid patients at King's College Hospital, in south east London. The Government has been told to "get a grip" of personal protective equipment (PPE) stocks and contracts, as it was disclosed more than half of suppliers who provided items through the VIP fast-track lane provided stock that was not suitable for use on the front line. Issue date: Wednesday March 30, 2022.

The number of coronavirus cases in North Lanarkshire increased by 1,157 in the last five days, official figures show – and two more deaths were recorded.

A total of 137,888 cases had been confirmed in North Lanarkshire when the UK coronavirus daily dashboard was updated on April 19 (Tuesday), up from 136,731 on Thursday, the last working day before the Easter bank holiday.

The cumulative rate of infection in North Lanarkshire, which covers the whole pandemic, stands at 40,420 cases per 100,000 people, far higher than the Scotland average of 34,630.

In England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, if one person tests positive for the virus more than 90 days after the first infection, two infection episodes will be recorded, according to the UK Health Security Agency.

There were also two more coronavirus deaths recorded in the latest five-day period in North Lanarkshire.

The dashboard shows 1,001 people had died in the area by April 19 (Tuesday) – up from 999 on Thursday.

It means there have been eight deaths in the past week, which is a decrease on 17 the previous week.

They were among 11,815 deaths recorded across Scotland.

The figures include anyone who died within 28 days of a positive test result for Covid-19, and whose usual residence was in North Lanarkshire.

Daily death counts are revised each day, with each case backdated to the actual date of death.

Figures reported today are likely to lower as a result of a lag in reporting deaths over the bank holiday.