The total number of coronavirus cases in Scotland has reached 3,000 as a further 58 cases have been confirmed in the north and north-east in the past 24 hours.
There are 45 new cases in Grampian, taking its total to 173, while the Highlands total has risen by seven to 72.
Six fresh cases in Shetland overnight increase the islands’ total to 36. There were no new cases in either the Western Isles or Orkney, meaning their case totals stay at three and two respectively.
The statistics were published after Nicola Sturgeon held her daily briefing on how Scotland is handling the pandemic.
The Scottish total has risen by 399 from 2,602 to 3,001.
The First Minister warned the coronavirus peak is still some time away.
There are 176 people are in intensive care with the disease or expected to have it, a rise of 14.
Sturgeon said: “I want to be very clear that nothing I have seen gives me any basis whatsoever for predicting the virus will peak as early as a week’s time here in Scotland.”
Update on #coronavirus testing#
As of 2pm today 19,535 Scottish tests have concluded
16,534 confirmed negative
3,001 positive172 patients who tested positive have sadly died.
Our latest update ➡️ https://t.co/kZjGNz2EDe
Health advice ➡️ https://t.co/l7rqArB6Qu#COVIDー19 pic.twitter.com/ZBnlzBkQWD— Scottish Government (@scotgov) April 3, 2020
She said Scottish Government’s targets on testing are proportionally equal to what is being done in the rest of UK, although the expansion to allow 3,500 tests per day in Scotland is slightly higher proportionally.
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said they plan to carry out 100,000 coronavirus tests a day in England by the end of April.
The Scottish Government is looking at how antibody testing – which can tell if a person has previously had the virus – can move Scotland out of lockdown, although the test does not currently exist in a “reliable form”, Ms Sturgeon added.
