THE number of people who have died in Fife due to coronavirus has reached 189.

The figures, published yesterday (Wednesday) by National Records of Scotland (NRS), include those fatalities where COVID-19 is mentioned on the death certificate.

In Fife, the total up to May 31 equates to 5.1 per 10,000 of the population.

Up to the same day, across the country as a whole, there have now been 3,911 registered deaths due to the disease. The figures include those where COVID-19 was 'suspected' or 'probable'.

It's important to remember that behind every statistic is a person who has lost their life.

NRS said that, between May 25 and 31, there were 131 deaths involving the virus, a fall of 99 from the previous week.

Just over half of those deaths, 52 per cent, occurred in care homes and 46 per cent were in hospital. The remainder were at home or in a "non-institutional setting".

Deaths involving coronavirus as a proportion of all deaths in Scotland fell to 12 per cent in week 22 – it was 36 per cent in week 17 – and it's the fifth week in a row that percentage has dropped.

The first mention of someone dying from the disease in Scotland was in the week beginning March 16.

Three quarters (76 per cent) of all deaths involving COVID-19 to date were of people aged 75 or over, with 23 per cent of deaths in the 45 to 74 age range.