MORE than 800 people fully vaccinated against Covid have died from the disease in Scotland to date, with figures showing that over-80s now make up a quarter of all hospital admissions linked to the virus.
The latest statistical report from Public Health Scotland shows that there have been 832 Covid deaths in total - where the infection was listed as a cause on the death certificate - since December 2020 in people who tested positive for the virus 14 or more days after their second vaccination.
READ MORE: Nearly 400 fully vaccinated Scots died after Covid restrictions lifted
The vast majority of these - 596 (72%) - have occurred since Scotland lifted restrictions on August 9, bringing an end to measures such as physical distancing.
The report notes that these individuals "had several comorbidities which contributed to their deaths" and that 79.2% "were in the 70 and over age group".
In total, there have been almost 9000 confirmed Covid deaths in Scotland since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020.
As more than 85% of the population aged 16-plus is now fully vaccinated, this group will inevitably account for the largest number of hospitalisations.
Furthermore, as the elderly are more likely than other age groups to be fully vaccinated, but also more vulnerable to severe complications if they suffer a breakthrough infection, it is also expected that fully-vaccinated people will account for the largest proportion of deaths.
In the week ending October 8, there were 100 Covid deaths in fully-vaccinated Scots compared to 19 in unvaccinated individuals.
READ MORE: The surprising fall in Scotland's Covid cases - but will it last?
However, once the figures are adjusted to take into account the size of each population and their different demographic profiles, the mortality rate for the unvaccinated group is more than 2.5 times higher than it is among the fully vaccinated: 5.29 deaths per 100,000 compared to 1.96 per 100,000.
Hospitalisations show a similar pattern.
In the 60-plus age group in the week ending October 15 there were 275 Covid hospital admissions in fullyvaccinated people compared to 29 for the unvaccinated.
However, unvaccinated over-60s were actually twice as likely to have required hospital treatment, with 39 per 100,000 unvaccinated over-60s admitted to hospital compared to 20 per 100,000 who were fully vaccinated.
In the 16 to 29 age group, unvaccinated individuals were five times more likely to end up in hospital.
The data also shows that 146 Covid positive children under 16 have been admitted to hospital in the past four weeks - compared to one who had had a single vaccine dose - though not all admissions are necessarily due to the virus.
Nearly half (48%) of 12 to 15-year-olds in Scotland had been vaccinated to date. Most children in this age group are only being offered one dose, unless they are severely immunocompromised.
The report also shows that over-80s in Scotland now make up 25% of Covid hospital admissions, up from 19% in mid-September.
They also outnumber any other age group, with 150 admissions compared to 15 in the 18 to 29 age group.
It comes amid claims that the booster programme - designed to counteract waning immunity in the highest risk groups - is not moving fast enough.
Head of Policy and Communications at Age Scotland, Adam Stachura said it was aware of "confusion with the public messaging" around booster and flu vaccines.
He said: “It’s very concerning that the over-80s account for the highest number of Covid admissions to hospitals right now and demonstrates that, even with a double vaccination and the start of the booster roll out, we aren’t out of the woods yet.
“There’s no doubt that older people are anxiously awaiting their invitations to receive their boosters and equally as keen to roll up their sleeves as they were for the first two jabs, but it’s not clear why, on the face of it, the uptake rates for the first priority group isn’t higher at this stage.
“We’re aware of some concerns about confusion with the public messaging, particularly around the combination of the flu jab and Covid booster roll out and how these are working in tandem, or not, this year.
"With winter fast approaching both vaccination programmes need to progress at pace to keep people as protected as possible and boost our defence against these deadly viruses.
“We strongly encourage everyone to take up their Covid-19 booster and flu jab when it is offered.”
READ MORE: Scottish Government accused of 'shifting goalposts' on booster jags
Since it began on September 20, 371,412 booster doses have been administered, which is equivalent to around half of over-80s and frontline health and social care workers combined.
Over-80s, care home residents - many of whom are over-80 - and frontline NHS and social care workers were the groups being prioritised for boosters, with appointment letters going out last week to those aged 70-79.
Those aged 60-69 and people aged 16-plus with underlying health conditions will receive letters towards to end of October, and the online booking portal will open to people aged 50-59 from mid-November.
The Scottish Government was accused of "shifting the goalposts" by the Conservative, having previously said the portal would open to all over-50s in mid-October.
However, the Scottish Government insists that the timetable remains on track to give all eligible groups a Covid booster six months on from their second dose, in line with JCVI recommendations which state that it should not be given any earlier.
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