SCOTLAND has recorded 24 deaths from coronavirus and 500 positive tests in the past 24 hours, Nicola Sturgeon has announced.

It brings the death toll under this measure – of people who first tested positive for the virus within the previous 28 days – to 7398.

Speaking ahead of First Minister’s Questions, she said the daily test positivity rate is 2.5%, down from 2.6% the previous day.

There are 726 people in hospital confirmed to have the virus, down 24 in 24 hours, and 69 patients are in intensive care, down one.

A total of 1,688,808 people have received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine as of Wednesday morning – up by 26,729 – and 100,058 have received their second dose.