The number of people in Scotland have tested positive for Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic passed 50,000 today – with 1,739 new cases detected.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced there had been 28 coronavirus-linked deaths in the last 24 hours – the highest figure since May 21.
However, none of these were in Grampian or the Highlands, the latest Scottish Government statistics have revealed.
Of the 1,739 new cases, 61 are from the north and north-east contributing towards the overall total of 50,903.
In the daily briefing, Ms Sturgeon stressed the figure for positive tests may be affected by the backlog that has been experienced in recent days.
It shows a positivity rate among newly tested individuals of 19.8% – though the first minister said at the beginning of the week that this number can give the wrong impression.
As more people in Scotland are tested, the number who can be described as “newly tested” falls, meaning that statistic becomes more skewed as time progresses.
The Scottish Government is moving towards presenting the positivity rate as a percentage of all tests, which today was 9.7%.
Coronavirus in Scotland – track the spread in these charts and maps
Since the beginning of the pandemic, a total of 917,750 people in Scotland have been tested. Of these people, 866,847 were confirmed negative.
A regional breakdown of the data shows there have been 39 new cases in Grampian since yesterday. The north-east’s total is now 3,055.
The total of positive cases in the Highlands has risen to 921 after 19 new cases were confirmed in the past 24 hours.
Two new cases were recorded in the Western Isles and one in Orkney, increasing their totals to 64 and 28 respectively. No new cases were recorded in Shetland, meaning their total remains at 64.