The total number of coronavirus cases in Scotland has reached 7,820 as a further 44 cases have been confirmed in the north and north-east in the past 24 hours.
There are 38 new cases in Grampian, taking its total to 432, while the total number of cases in the Highlands has risen by six to 193.
Shetland’s case total remains at 45, Orkney remains on a total of five and the Western Isles has six cases.
There are 15 people in intensive care with confirmed or suspected Covid-19 in Grampian and six in the Highlands.
A total of 893 people who tested positive for coronavirus in Scotland have now died.
Update on #coronavirus testing
As of 2pm today 38,233 people in Scotland have been tested
30,413 confirmed negative
7,820 positive893 patients who tested positive have sadly died.
Latest update ➡️ https://t.co/kZjGNz2EDe
Health advice ➡️ https://t.co/l7rqArB6Qu#COVIDー19 pic.twitter.com/QbRqtohCuc— Scottish Government (@scotgov) April 18, 2020
The rate of community transmission of coronavirus in Scotland is slowing down, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said in a briefing yesterday.
The “first signs of hope are already there”, she said, as statistics indicated lockdown measures are helping to slow the spread of the virus and save lives.
Ms Sturgeon said her advisers believe “the lockdown restrictions have resulted in a slowing down of the rate of community transmission of the virus”.