Lowest figures for seven months

SCOTLAND has inched closer to a return to normality as the country recorded its lowest Covid cases for seven months.

There were 199 new cases in the 24 hours to yesterday morning, according to new figures. This is the smallest number since 70 were recorded on September 14.

While cases tend to dip on the weekend, this latest figure marks a sharp decrease from the 285 cases recorded on Saturday.

No new Covid deaths were recorded yesterday, meaning the death toll under the daily measure remains at 7,630.

The daily test positivity rate is 2.4 per cent, up from 1.8 per cent on Sunday.

There are 154 people hospitalised with Covid-19, the second lowest figure this month so far.

At the start of April, 215 people were in hospital with Covid-19.

Meanwhile, 21 patients are in intensive care. While this figure was the same on March 31, it marks a decrease from the 38 patients recorded in intensive care on March 13.

A total of 2,668,723 people have received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine as of Monday morning and 590,174 have received their second dose. At least 95 per cent of people in Scotland in each age group for those 55 and over have received a first dose of Covid-19 vaccine, according to Public Health Scotland.

The estimate for 50-to-54-year-olds is 81 per cent.

The figures are for doses given up to April 10, and also suggest all staff working in care homes have had a first dose, along with 90 per cent of frontline health care workers and 81 per cent of frontline social care workers.

Some 86 per cent of those aged 16 to 64 with underlying health conditions in Scotland have received their first jab, along with 94 per cent of people who had been advised to shield.