The number of people dying from coronavirus has come down in two out of the three Ayrshire council areas, according to data from the National Records of Scotland.

East Ayrshire saw the biggest drop with four people recorded as having died from the virus between February 15-21. That's down from 15 the previous week and is the lowest weekly tally since October 19, 2020.

In East Ayrshire, a total of 252 people have lost their lives to the virus since the start of the pandemic.

North Ayrshire also saw a decline, with 13 people reported as having died where coronavirus was mentioned on the death certificate. Last week it was reported that 19 people sadly lost their lives to COVID-19.

Not every Ayrshire local authority area saw the rate come down. South Ayrshire, after two weeks of decline, saw the death rate jump back up, with 11 people reportedly succumbing to the virus.

Cumnock Chronicle: Credit: National Records of ScotlandCredit: National Records of Scotland

A total of 9,347 people have died in Scotland with confirmed or suspected coronavirus, according to the National Records of Scotland.

The figures show 290 deaths relating to COVID-19 were registered between February 15 and 21, down 35 on the previous week.

Of these, the majority happened in hospital at 235, with 34 in care homes and 20 at home or in a non-institutional setting and one in another institution.

The statistics are published weekly and cover all deaths registered in Scotland where COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

They differ from the lab-confirmed coronavirus deaths announced daily by the Scottish Government because the NRS figures include suspected or probable cases of COVID-19.

Deaths from all causes remain higher than usual for this time of year, with 157 excess deaths recorded across all locations in the latest week, showing a 12 per cent increase when compared with the average for the period 2015 to 2019.

Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services, said: “My thoughts and condolences are with all the families and wider communities who have lost loved ones as a result of this virus.

“Today’s statistics show some welcome news, for the fourth consecutive week the number of deaths have fallen and in the latest week the number of deaths have decreased by 11 per cent. Deaths in care homes over the last month have fallen at a faster rate than deaths in other locations.”