Excess deaths from all causes, involving and with dementia as the underlying cause: Scotland 2020-2022

Between 2020 and 2021, deaths involving dementia and COVID-19 reduced proportionally in care homes and increased proportionally in hospital

Deaths involving dementia and COVID-19

Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020 until the end of March 2022 (week ending 3 April 2022) there have been 3,571 deaths registered involving dementia and COVID-19.

In 2020, there were 2,154 deaths registered involving dementia and COVID-19. Of these, only 3% were registered with dementia as the underlying cause. In contrast, 95% were registered with COVID-19 as the underlying cause (with the remaining 2% due to some other underlying cause).

In 2021, deaths involving dementia and COVID-19 were lower at 1,000. The proportion that had dementia as the underlying cause increased in 2021 to 12%. 82% of deaths involving dementia and COVID-19 were registered with COVID-19 as the underlying cause (with the remaining 6% due to some other underlying cause).

When considering the setting of deaths involving dementia and COVID-19, 73% of deaths occurred in care homes in 2020. This reduced to 53% in 2021. Conversely, 24% of deaths involving dementia and COVID-19 occurred in hospital in 2020. This increased to 40% in 2021. This shows a shift in location of deaths across these years.

Deaths with COVID-19 as the underlying cause

Of the 6,048 deaths with COVID-19 as the underlying cause in 2020, 41% occurred in care homes. This reduced to 16% of the 4,832 deaths registered with COVID-19 as the underlying cause in 2021.

Conversely, the proportion of deaths with COVID-19 as the underlying cause that occurredin hospital in 2020 was 53%. This increased to 77% in 2021. This shows that while there were fewer deaths with COVID-19 as the underlying cause in 2021 than in 2020, a larger proportion occurred in hospital.