NICOLA Sturgeon has refused to join Boris Johnson in saying that Scotland is past the peak of coronavirus.

Speaking at the daily press briefing, the First Minister said the progress made in tackling the illness is "really fragile".

She added: "The progres we’ve made is really fragile and it would not take very much for it to reverse ... that’s the message I want people to hear loud and clear.”

Scottish Interim Chief Medical Officer Gregor Smith said: “We’ll only know we’re past the peak when we’re out on the other side because the margins are so small ... all it would take is subtle shifts in the way people are behaving for us to back to exponential growth.“

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Sturgeon later tweeted: "There is progress, and light at end of tunnel. My concern about ‘past the peak’ is that it could imply we’re past the point of danger. We’re not - progress is fragile and if we ease up it will be reversed. So we need to encourage maximum compliance with current restrictions."

At the Downing Street briefing last night the Prime Minister said: "I can confirm today that for the first time we are past the peak of this disease, we’re past the peak. And we’re on the downward slope, and we have so many reasons to be hopeful for the long term.”

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Nicola Sturgeon also said 11,654 people have now tested positive for the virus in Scotland, a rise of 301 from 11,353 the day before.

There are 1809 people in hospital with confirmed or suspected Covid-19, up 61 from 1748 the previous day, Sturgeon added.

Of these patients, 110 are in intensive care, a rise of four.

The testing capacity in Scotland currently stands at 4350, according to the FM.

Expanding the testing regime in Scotland, she announced the Scottish Government will undertake “advanced outbreak investigation” at care homes reporting cases of Covid-19.

The investigation will involve testing of all residents and staff regardless of symptoms.

She said, if a care home is part of a chain where staff move between homes, the testing will be carried out in the linked institutions.

Sturgeon also said there will be sample testing done in homes where no cases have been reported.

The changes, which will be overseen by NHS Louisa Jordan chief executive Jill Young, will be put in place “as swiftly as practicable”.

She added the expansion of testing will need to be “clinically driven”.