Scotland records another 23 Covid deaths

Another 23 coronavirus-linked deaths have been recorded in Scotland in the past 24 hours, according to the latest data.

It means the number of people who have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 has risen to 11,098.

The Scottish Government data published on Friday also shows 18,124 new cases of Covid-19 have been reported, though that covers more than a 24-hour period – from 2pm on Wednesday and throughout Thursday – due to technical issues experienced earlier in the week.

There were 2,050 people in hospital on Thursday with recently confirmed Covid-19, up 12 on the previous day, with 31 in intensive care – which was no change on Wednesday’s number.

It comes as Office for National Statistics data shows levels of Covid infection in Scotland have hit another record high.

They have now risen for seven weeks in a row, with 376,300 people likely to have had the virus last week – or one in 14.

This is up from 299,900 people, or one in 18, the previous week.