ANOTHER 1429 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon has announced.

No further deaths were recorded in the past 24 hours among confirmed patients, though registration offices are typically closed over the weekend.

The positivity rate over the past 24 hours was 12.3% of the total number of tests, meaning the overall number of confirmed cases is now 163,762.

Some 1959 people are in hospital with recently confirmed Covid-19, 41 more than 24 hours previously.

Of those, 146 are in intensive care, a decrease of one.

Overall, hospital admissions remain well above the initial peak in April.

Of the new cases, 451 are in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 244 in Lanarkshire, and 178 in Lothian. The remaining cases are spread across the other 11 health board areas.

The First Minister announced that 264,991 people across Scotland had now received their first dose of coronavirus vaccine.

Speaking at her daily briefing, she said that having first focused on care home residents, Scotland was seeking to "rapidly expand" its vaccination programme.

Sturgeon explained: "Thousands of vaccinations are now taking place each day at the NHS Louisa Jordan in Glasgow and work is ongoing to establish further major vaccination sites."

She thanked the Army for the logistical support it is providing, as she said Scotland was "on track" to complete vaccinations for care home residents, health and care staff and those aged over 80 by the start of February.

The FM added that by the middle of February they hoped to have completed first doses for those aged over 70 and those who are clinically extremely vulnerable – saying people in these groups would receive appointments later in January.

In addition, it was hoped everyone aged over 65 will have had their first dose of the vaccine by the beginning of March.

But she added: "All of this is subject to getting the supplies we need."

A total of 78 deaths have been confirmed since Friday among people who tested positive for Covid in the previous in the past 28 days. The toll under the daily measurement is 5305.