A FURTHER 15 coronavirus cases have been identified in the Grampian area over the last 24 hours, the First Minister has confirmed.

Nicola Sturgeon said that whether any of the cases are linked to an identified cluster in the area was currently unclear.

So far, 27 positive cases have been identified as part of a cluster linked to Aberdeen’s Hawthorn Bar.

Sturgeon said 120 contacts of those cases have been traced through the Test and Protect programme, and the Incident Management Team will meet again later today.

She told the Scottish Government briefing: “Investigations are ongoing and we will provide more details as and when they become available.”

The First Minister added that this new cluster is a reminder that the virus is still out there and remains “extremely infectious” and dangerous.

The update on the Grampian area came as Sturgeon confirmed there had been 23 new Covid-19 cases identified in Scotland over the past 24 hours.

There had been no further deaths among people who have received a positive Covid-19 test in the last 28 days, meaning the number of people who have died under this measure remains at 2491.