Coronavirus: 16 deaths and 2370 new cases recorded overnight

A further 16 deaths and 2370 new cases of coronavirus have been recorded in Scotland overnight, according to official figures.

A total of 23,901 new tests were carried out, with 10.6% testing positive – up from the 9.5% reported the previously day.

Of the new cases reported on Tuesday, 467 are in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde region, 383 are in Lanarkshire, 360 are in Lothian, and 250 are in Ayrshire and Arran.

The rest of the cases are spread out across ten other health board areas.

A total of 1027 people were in hospital on Monday with recently confirmed Covid-19, an increase of four overnight. Out of those, 73 patients are in intensive care.

The lab-confirmed death toll of those who tested positive within the previous 28 days currently stands at 8551, however figures including suspected Covid-19 deaths recorded by National Records of Scotland suggest the most up-to-date total is now at least 10,826.

It was also confirmed that 4,184,574 Scots have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, an increase of 2957 from the day before.

A total of 3,832,498 people have received their second dose, a rise of 2617.

In a statement to MSPs on Tuesday, Nicola Sturgeon welcomed the falling numbers of coronavirus infections in Scotland.

The First Minister said the average number of new Covid-19 cases had halved in the past three weeks and is now below the previous peak of early July.

She told MSPs there had been “significant declines” in all age groups but the steepest falls were among people aged 15 to 24.

Sturgeon said: “What is obviously positive is that this overall reduction in cases has happened without the need to reintroduce any lockdown restrictions which, of course, all of us were, and are, keen to avoid.

“We consider that the fall in cases is being driven by a number of factors.

“A key one is likely to be the increasing level of immunity – which is now relatively high in Scotland. This comes mainly from vaccination, although also to some extent from infection with the virus, and in some cases from both.”