Covid-19
Covid-19 has had far-reaching consequences for Scotland's public services and finances, and it will continue to have an impact in the future.
This e-hub brings together the Covid-19 related reports we've produced so far, as well as other resources.
Latest Covid-19 publications
Latest from our blog

Digital innovation used to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the way we lived and worked, and how organisations operated, delivered public services and interacted with citizens was rapidly changing. Since March 2020, the pace of that change has accelerated. Organisations have had to innovate and collaborate on a scale never seen before. Digital technology has become a lifeline, allowing the continued delivery of public services, often to the most vulnerable in society. Its use has also exposed the risk of digital exclusion – not having the skills or resources to access vital public services, maintain learning, and stay connected with others.
We have sourced case studies from our wider audit work that provide examples of how digital innovation and transformation has been used to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Covid-19 vaccination programme
The Covid-19 vaccination programme has made excellent progress in vaccinating a large majority of the adult population in Scotland.
By 17 September, more than 90 per cent of people aged 18 or over had received at least one Covid-19 vaccine. Levels of vaccine wastage have been low, and the programme has helped reduce the number of people getting severely ill and dying.

The infographic above illustrates Covid-19 cases, hospitalisations and deaths, March 2020 to September 2021
The vaccination programme has helped to reduce the number of people needing hospital treatment or dying from Covid-19.
Cases peaked at 7,521
- Between 4th and 10th September 2021, there were 1,146 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 in fully vaccinated people.
- Between 4th and 10th September 2021, there were 477 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 in unvaccinated people.
Hospital admissions peaked at 201
- Hospitalisations of unvaccinated people aged 60 or over: 77 per 100,000
- Hospitalisations of vaccinated people aged 60 or over: 29 per 100,000
- Hospitalisations of unvaccinated people aged 16-59: 24 per 100,000
- Hospitalisations of vaccinated people aged 16-59: 8 per 100,000
Deaths peaked at 102
- Age standardised mortality rate for unvaccinated people: 5 per 100,000
- Age standardised mortality rate for vaccinated people: 1 per 100,000
Note. Cases, hospitalisations and the age standardised mortality rate per 100,000 by vaccine status between 4 and 10 September 2021. Hospital admissions and deaths trend lines are based on the seven day averages.
Source: Public Health Scotland and National Records of Scotland.
Future Covid-19 audit work
Phases 1 to 4 of our audit work
Audit Scotland is committed to helping Parliament and the public understand how public money has been used during this crisis and ensure lessons are learned for the future. The complex and dynamic nature of the Covid-19 crisis means we will need to take a phased approach.
Phase 1 (short term)
- Briefing the Scottish Parliament on emerging audit risks linked to the public sector response to Covid-19.
- Considering what this means for our future work programme and the work of the Parliament’s Public Audit and Post Legislative Scrutiny Committee (PAPLS).
Phase 2 (medium term)
- Developing the work programme to consider the impact of Covid-19 on:
- specific sectors (eg, NHS, further and higher education, justice, local government)
- policy commitments (eg, early learning and childcare expansion, addressing child poverty)
- thematic issues raised by Covid-19 (eg, the impact on Scotland’s public finances, fraud risk management, inequalities).
Phase 3 (longer term)
- Identifying lessons that can be learnt from the public sector’s response.
- Assessing the outcomes achieved from key Scottish Government spending and programmes related to Covid-19.
- Aligning our work programme with the Scottish Government’s work to rebuild Scotland’s economy, remove inequality and advance wellbeing.