A PILOT service that uses rural fire stations as coronavirus testing centres in the Highlands is to be expanded, Nicola Sturgeon said.

NHS Highland has been trialling the pilot in Thurso and Lochgilphead to use the fire stations as bases where people can get tested for Covid-19.

It is aimed at saving those living in rural areas from having to wait for a home testing kit to arrive or a mobile testing centre to be sent to the area, or from having to drive long distances to a permanent facility.

The First Minister told the Scottish Government’s daily coronavirus briefing: “Due to the success of these initial pilots the decision has been taken now to expand that service and I can say that from tomorrow fire stations in Dunoon and Campbelltown will be used as testing centres.”

She added that in the coming weeks a further 17 sites will open in rural locations across the NHS Highland area.

Sturgeon also revealed that another five people in Scotland have died after contracting Covid-19.

READ MORE: Five more people die in Scotland after contracting Covid-19

A further 928 cases were also confirmed, with a positivity rate of 6.6%.

The deaths, recorded in the past 24 hours among those who tested positive in the previous 28 days, bring the total under that measurement to 6443. However, that figure is likely to be artificially low because registration offices are closed at weekends.

Some 1672 people are in hospital with recently confirmed Covid-19, down 38 in 24 hours.

Of these, 108 were in intensive care, no change on the previous day.

It means there’s been a decrease of 280 hospital patients over the past week, though the overall number remains higher than during the first wave last spring.