Scottish deaths near 500 mark

A total of 447 patients have died in Scotland after testing positive for coronavirus, a rise of 81 on Wednesday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said.

Speaking yesterday ahead of a virtual question-andanswer session with party leaders, Ms Sturgeon said 4,957 people have now tested positive for the virus in Scotland, up by 392 from 4,565 the day before.

There are 212 people in intensive care with coronavirus or coronavirus symptoms – an increase of two on Wednesday.

Ms Sturgeon said 1,781 people are in hospital with confirmed or suspected Covid-19.

It has been 100 days since the first confirmed case of coronavirus in Wuhan in China, the First Minister said. She said the lives of the people of Scotland since then have been “transformed in ways that would have been unimaginable just a few weeks ago”. Ms Sturgeon urged Scots: “Reach out to and look out for people even as you stay physically apart from them, but please do follow the rules and stay at home over Easter.”

She added: “This virtual session of FMQS might, in the scheme of things, seem like a relatively minor example of that, but it is a striking example of that.”

The First Minister expressed her gratitude to Parliament staff and the Presiding Officer for making the virtual session possible.

Following FMQS, Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh said: “Today’s virtual question time was a first for the Scottish Parliament and in the midst of this health emergency I hope it offered a message of reassurance to those we represent, that governmental accountability and scrutiny continues.

“I believe we can build on the success of this online session and, in particular, that we can offer other members the opportunity to participate directly.”