Covid in Scotland: Another 18 deaths recorded - BBC News
Covid case numbers and daily test positivity rates drop again, according to latest figures.
Scotland has recorded 18 deaths from coronavirus and 525 positive tests in the past 24 hours, latest figures show.

Scottish government data shows the daily test positivity rate is 3.1%, down from 3.3% on Friday.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde recorded 151 cases, and there were 106 in Lothian and 89 in Lanarkshire.

There are 898 people in hospital confirmed to have the virus, down 26 in 24 hours, and 74 patients are in intensive care, down six.

As of 08:30, 1,570,153 people had received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, an increase of 27,224 since Friday.

National clinical director Prof Jason Leitch said the latest data had left him "mildly hopeful" as "48 hours of reducing numbers" showed the country was moving in the right direction.

He told BBC Scotland: "I'm very hopeful the second half of the year will look very different to the first half."

Prof Leitch also said he was "hopeful" that Scottish football's lower leagues and the women's game will be told next week when they can resume playing.

He said: "I'm hopeful we can do it with mitigation and safety in place.

"I'm pretty confident that next week there will be news that will indicate where we're headed for the next phases and I'm hoping that will be joint government and league news, because we're trying to do it together."

Meanwhile, a new walk-through coronavirus testing centre has opened at the Ainslie Park Leisure Centre car park in Edinburgh.

The test centre is the 33rd walk-through site in Scotland.

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