Hospital onset COVID-19 cases in Scotland
Week ending 01 March 2020 to week ending 18 December 2022

About this release

Please note that forthcoming publications will solely be published on NSS and are available here: Hospital onset COVID-19 | National Services Scotland (nhs.scot)

This release provides data for probable and definite hospital onset COVID-19 cases (first positive specimen of COVID-19 episode taken on day eight of an inpatient stay or later) in Scotland from week ending 1 March 2020 to week ending 18 December 2022. A system for monitoring COVID-19 is critical to tracking hospital transmission and has informed development of infection prevention and control (IPC) measures during the pandemic. The disease is primarily transmitted from person to person via respiratory particles. Further information on SARS-CoV-2 and current IPC guidance can be found in the National Infection Prevention and Control Manual.

The content of this report has evolved during the pandemic to account for changes in testing for SARS-CoV-2. Due to the cessation of almost all population testing for SARS-CoV-2 at the end of April 2022, the inclusion of community onset cases in this report was discontinued in May 2022. Additionally, following the pausing of almost all routine asymptomatic testing in hospitals at the end of September 2022, the inclusion of non-hospital onset and indeterminate hospital onset cases (cases where first specimen of COVID-19 episode taken on days one to seven of an inpatient stay) has also been discontinued.

Main points

Breakdown of probable and definite hospital onset COVID-19 cases by hospital onset status – weekly data

The total number of probable and definite hospital onset COVID-19 cases reported to ARHAI Scotland this week (week ending 18 December 2022) was 312. Of these:

• 80 were reported as probable hospital onset (first positive specimen of COVID-19 episode on days 8 to 14 of admission to NHS board). In the previous week (week ending 11 December 2022) there were 48.
• 232 were reported as definite hospital onset (first positive specimen of COVID-19 episode on day 15 of admission to NHS board or later). In the previous week (week ending 11 December 2022) there were 203.

Figure 1: Epidemic curve of probable and definite hospital onset COVID-19 cases (first positive specimen of COVID-19 episode taken on day eight of inpatient stay or later), by onset status: week ending 01 March 2020 to week ending 18 December 2022 (n=18,137).^1,2

^1,2

Figure 1 is an epidemic curve of probable and definite hospital onset COVID-19 cases with first positive specimen of the COVID-19 episode taken on day eight of an inpatient stay or later. The length of the bars are the counts of COVID-19 cases during each week, from week ending 01 March 2020 to week ending 18 December 2022. The bars are broken down by probable hospital onset, and definite hospital onset status. The chart shows several increases and subsequent decreases in probable and definite hospital onset cases. During these waves, peaks in probable and definite hospital onset cases occurred on week ending 12 April 2020, week ending 17 January 2021, week ending 09 January 2022, week ending 27 March 2022 (the largest peak to date), week ending 10 July 2022, and week ending 09 October 2022. Since this most recent peak, an overall decreasing trend was observed until 20 November 2022, and over the last four weeks of reporting an overall increasing trend has been observed.

Close

^{1.​ Source of data are Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW) that contains test results from Electronic Communication of Surveillance in Scotland (ECOSS) and Rapid Admission Preliminary Inpatient Data (RAPID) or local admission data.
2.​ Data include any reinfection episodes from samples taken on day eight of an inpatient stay or later.}

Background

Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infection (ARHAI) Scotland, part of National Services Scotland, works closely with Public Health Scotland to deliver the COVID-19 response. Local and national monitoring in hospital settings is required to reduce COVID-19 infections.

Further information

Find out more on the COVID-19 pages on the PHS website.  

The next release of this publication will be 18 January 2023.

Please note that forthcoming publications will solely be published on NSS and are available here: Hospital onset COVID-19 | National Services Scotland (nhs.scot)