Update to reporting of COVID-19 statistics

Following changes to testing policy in Scotland from 01 May 2022, Public Health Scotland (PHS) has reviewed and updated its approach to publishing information on COVID-19.

The Scottish Government Test and Protect Transition Plan (external website) sets out changes to testing, contact tracing and isolation that came into effect on 01 May 2022. Many COVID-19 testing centres have now closed and testing remains in place only for certain groups in order to protect high risk settings and support clinical care.

This planned change to testing policy will lead to a reduction in the quantity and quality of the available daily data, which will, in turn, limit the utility of daily reporting.

As a result, PHS will move towards weekly COVID-19 reporting, which is more typical for respiratory infection surveillance and is more appropriate, as the country transitions from the emergency response phase of the pandemic to living with endemic COVID-19.

From 09 May 2022, the PHS COVID-19 dashboard will be updated on Mondays and Thursdays, before moving to weekly updates, on a Wednesday, from June. Both testing and vaccination statistics will present headline figures in a weekly format and daily trends will be updated to the latest available data.

The PHS Covid-19 weekly statistical report will continue to be published weekly and will be enhanced over the coming weeks to incorporate wider surveillance information.

More information on the changes from 01 May can be found on the Scottish Government website (external website).