Nicola Sturgeon: Scotland coronavirus death toll up by 50 to 126

The death toll increased by 50 in the last 24 hours.

A total of 126 patients have died in Scotland after testing positive for coronavirus, up by 50 from 76 on Wednesday, the biggest daily increase since the outbreak began.

Official statistics showed that 2,602 people had tested positive for the virus, up 292 on the previous day.

At a briefing at St Andrew's House in Edinburgh, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that 162 people were in intensive care with Covid-19.

A total of 18,128 coronavirus tests have been carried out in Scotland.

‘Cruel virus’

The First Minister described coronavirus as a "cruel virus" as people are not allowed to spend time with loved ones in hospital.

She said that 40 deaths had not been reported due to "family liaison" issues, but it would not be correct to say they had happened in the past 24 hours.

At a briefing at St Andrew's House in Edinburgh, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that 162 people were in intensive care with Covid-19. (Photo by HANDOUT/Scottish Government/AFP via Getty Images)

A new reporting system would be put in place, meaning the daily figure of confirmed deaths will not rely solely on health boards, but will also include data from the National Records of Scotland (NRS) death registration process.

As of next week, NRS will also begin to report on deaths where Covid-19 is mentioned on the death certificate.

The First Minister said the Scottish Government was trying to be as "transparent as possible".

PPE

Ms Sturgeon said there had been "significant" steps taken to get personal protective equipment (PPE) to health workers.

Health Protection Scotland (HPS) would also be issuing new guidance on how PPE is distributed, she added.

Ms Sturgeon was also clear on what testing "can and cannot achieve".

Current tests, she said, could identify cases of Covid-19, but would be unable to detect the virus in the incubation period or if someone has previously had the virus.

The Scottish and UK governments are currently working on a more thorough antibody test.

Testing

The First Minister said the Scottish Government would use testing on those who are the most seriously ill to detect the spread of the virus throughout the country, including health care workers and their families, to allow them to get back to work if they do not have the virus.

Ms Sturgeon said that 3,400 NHS staff and their families have been tested to date.

However, she added that simply testing key workers and their families would not mean that they would be able to go back to work, as many tests would simply confirm they had the virus.