EXCL: Scotland's care homes record 600 extra "excess" deaths during pandemic beyond 1,749 fatalities logged as Covid-related. The deaths are thought to be combination of unidentified Covid cases, and indirect mortality effects 
We used publicly available National Records of Scotland data to calculate to the figures.
On chart below:
* Blue - expected level of deaths (five-year average)
* Red - excess deaths recorded as Covid-related
* Yellow - excess deaths not recorded as Covid
On chart below:
* Blue - expected level of deaths (five-year average)
* Red - excess deaths recorded as Covid-related
* Yellow - excess deaths not recorded as Covid
Chart shows how Covid (red) and non Covid (yellow) deaths leapt between weeks of 23/3 & 30/3. Covid: 5 to 49. Non-Covid: -1 (one less than expected from 5-year-avg) to 142. So initially, non-Covid excess deaths outnumbered Covid. Could many of these have been Covid deaths?
From week starting March 23 (when the first care home death in Scotland was recorded) to week starting May 18, there have been 2,350 excess deaths in Scotland's care homes - 1,749 (74%) were logged as Covid related, while 601 (26%) were not
This 74/26 ratio compares to England's last month at 54/46 - the figure Nicola Sturgeon has relied upon when she suggests England is under-reporting its Covid deaths in care homes. The NRS data suggests Scotland could well be under-reporting too.
Also: There's no published data in Scotland on care home residents who died in hospitals. In Eng, these are published, but separate to standard weekly figures. NRS (Scot) says standard ONS (Eng) weekly figs are "broadly comparable" to Scotland's, tho longer lag/slight diff period
The picture in England and Wales on care home excess deaths.. similar to the trend we reported on today for Scotland.
