As Scotland opened up and more infectious variants emerged, the overall infection rate in Scotland has now become higher than in England and Wales.
Despite that, the death rate in England continues to climb higher, leaving Scotland with the significantly lowest death rate in mainland UK.
There are three important contributory factors operating – the underlying, age profile, health of the population and the quality of their health and care services.
Scotland has an older and less-well population and so might have expected a higher death rate than England.
There is a median age of 42.1 in Scotland compared to 40.4 for the UK: https://www.statista.com/statistics/367796/uk-median-age-by-region/
Average life expectancy for males in Scotland is 76.7 compared to 79 in the UK. For women it’s 81.1 and 82.9 respectively: https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files//statistics/life-expectancy-in-scotland/18-20/life-expectancy-18-20-report.pdf
Other factors may have had a part to play, but it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that NHS Scotland and the speedier implementation of vaccines in care homes, saved many thousands than would have been the case had the UK Government been responsible for health and care across the whole UK.
Talking-up Scotland 
Take this info
Get hold of the Labour and
Tory noses
Hold firm till they must open their mouths and wag their malicious evil forked tongues and Ram it
Right down their throats
Then hold their jaws firmly
Closed
And speak only once you have digested this
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Your final paragraph is spot on, but the willingness of Scots to comply with guidance, and that guidance being consistent and considered, were also substantial contributing factors.
England’s response was dogged by confusion and disinformation throughout, had that NOT been the case I suspect both sets of figures would have been lower still.
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I believe the Scottish Government’s advice is for people still to wear a face covering in all indoor public places. My wife and I are in our eighties and follow that advice, but I’m afraid in the places we frequent, supermarkets, shopping centres, very few other people are complying.
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It’s the same here, but folks at least accept your choice to wear a mask.
Once we get into the colder and wetter months I suspect incidence will increase and so will mask wearing…
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