First Minister Nicola Sturgeon: confirmed coronavirus deaths rise by 70

Deaths from coronavirus in Scotland have reached 985.

Speaking from St Andrew’s House, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said 70 more people who tested positive for the virus had died in the past 24 hours.

It brings the total number of deaths to 985.

Ms Sturgeon also said that the number of positive cases had jumped by 222 since yesterday, bringing the total to 8,627.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. (Photo by Jane Barlow-WPA Pool/Getty Images)

1,866 people have been hospitalised – 166 of those in intensive care units across the country.

Ms Sturgeon said she was “cautiously optimistic” that the number of people being hospitalised was “broadly stable”, and said the NHS was not yet at risk of being overwhelmed.

She attributed the progress to the “high compliance” of Scots with the lockdown restrictions.

The announcement comes as a report by Scotland’s Chief Economist, Gary Gillespie, who joined the First Minister at her press conference, suggested the Scottish economy could shrink by 30 per cent as a result of the crisis.

Dr Gillespie warned that sustained action to squash the spread of infection will have long-lasting "scarring" effects on the economy.

These will include the loss of businesses and unemployment, he said.

His update highlighted the problem faced by workers aged under 25, who are disproportionately employed in the worst affected sectors - retail, hospitality and tourism.