Zero confirmed coronavirus deaths in Scotland for a week

No deaths among confirmed coronavirus patients have been recorded in the past seven days.

Nicola Sturgeon confirmed the figures at Wednesday’s Scottish Government Covid-19 briefing.

Weekly statistics from National Records of Scotland up to last Sunday show 13 deaths of Scots linked to the virus, counting both confirmed and presumed cases.

But it has been seven days since the Scottish Government announced any deaths of people confirmed to have the virus through a test.

There are five new cases in Scotland overall, taking the country’s total over the course of the pandemic to 18,373.

A total of 611 people are in hospital overall with Covid or Covid symptoms, down five on the day before.

Of those, just six people are being treated in intensive care, a decline of six – and only two are confirmed to have coronavirus.

The First Minister also revealed that on three days in the period from July 3 to July 9, there were no hospital admissions as a result of Covid-19 anywhere in Scotland – a milestone she hailed as “significant”.

A total of 4132 people hospitalised with the virus have been able to go home to continue their recovery since the pandemic started, Sturgeon added.

The First Minister said: “Covid is now being driven to very low levels in Scotland.”

With swathes of the economy reopening on Wednesday – including pubs and hairdressers – she added: “The changes are long awaited and have been very hard earned by everybody across the country.”