About this release

This weekly release by Public Health Scotland presents epidemiological information on respiratory infection activity, including COVID-19, across Scotland. Due to the dynamic nature of all datasets included in this report, figures contained within each update may be subject to change in future releases. Any revised figures will then be reflected within the latest update.

Main Points

Overall assessment 30 September to 6 October (ISO week 40): 

• Calls to NHS 24 for respiratory symptoms and patient attendances to GP practices for influenza-like illness and acute respiratory infection were at the low levels that are usual for this time of year.
• Rates of rhinovirus and influenza A in the Community Acute Respiratory Infection (CARI) surveillance system have increased over the past four weeks, compared to the previous four-week period. Rhinovirus makes up the majority of positive tests in CARI (35%), while influenza makes up only 1.6%. There has been an accompanying slight increase in the numbers of laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza via ECOSS in week 40.
• CARI surveillance shows significant and steady declines in human metapneumovirus and Mycoplasma pneumoniae over the same four-week period, although numbers of confirmed cases of pneumoniae are slightly higher than the same period last year. This follows unusually high levels of M.pneumoniae during much of the previous respiratory season, especially in young people. 
• COVID-19 activity has been declining since a peak in July, with multiple Scottish surveillance systems confirming this trend. COVID-19 activity has not yet reached the lowest levels seen most recently in March 2024.
• There were only 71 emergency hospital admissions with a confirmed diagnosis of influenza or RSV in week 40. The number of emergency hospital admissions with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 has been declining following a peak in July that was higher even than the winter peak.
• The numbers of deaths from any cause, which during winter may provide a timely signal of increases in more severe respiratory infections, were at expected baseline levels for this time of year.

Further information

The next release of the interactive dashboard, COVID-19 data platform and respiratory open data platform and the narrative publication will be 17 October 2024.

Find out more

Previous Publications

Versions of the Weekly national respiratory report publication released before 30 November 2022 may be found on the Public Health Scotland website.

Versions of the COVID-19 weekly statistical report publication released before 30 November 2022 may be found on the Public Health Scotland website.

Open data

Open data from this publication is available from the following weblinks:

• Viral respiratory diseases Open Data platform
• Flu and COVID vaccination uptake Open Data platform

Further data

• The COVID-19 Vaccine Wastage datafile was updated on 18 April 2024 to include the most recent information.
• The COVID-19 in Adult Care Homes in Scotland datafile was updated on 27 July 2023 to include more recent information.
• 28 September 2022 COVID-19 statistical report publication contains information on COVID-19 infection and vaccination in pregnancy in Scotland.
• 2 March 2022 COVID-19 statistical report publication contains information on Highest Risk (shielding patients list)
• 7 November 2023 Community Acute Respiratory Infection (CARI) surveillance in primary care contains information on flu Vaccine effectiveness in community settings.
• 25 May 2023 Interim 2022/23 influenza vaccine effectiveness: six European studies, October 2022 to January 2023, contains information on flu Vaccine effectiveness in hospital settings.
• 13 January 2024 Estimated number of lives directly saved by COVID-19 vaccination programs in the WHO European Region, December 2020 to March 2023, contains information on lives saved due to COVID-19 vaccination