1,190 alcohol-specific deaths in 2020 raise fears Covid has undermined progress with minimum pricing
Alcohol-specific deaths in Scotland rose to their highest level in more than a decade in 2020, amid warnings that the pandemic has undermined progress made with the country’s world-leading minimum unit-pricing policy.
There were 1,190 alcohol-specific deaths in Scotland in 2020, an increase of 17% from 2019 and the highest number registered since 2008 when 1,316 people died, according to figures published by the National Records of Scotland (NRS).