Nicola Sturgeon: Drop in hospital and intensive care figures a growing cause for optimism

A total of 1,184 patients have died in Scotland after testing positive for Covid-19, a rise of 64 from 1,120 on Thursday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said.

Speaking at her daily coronavirus briefing, she said 9,697 people have tested positive for the virus in Scotland, an increase of 288 from the day before.

The number of people in hospital with confirmed or suspected Covid-19 is 1,710, a fall of 38 from 1,748 on Thursday, while 141 of these patients are in intensive care, down seven, she added.

She said the drop in hospital and intensive care figures is a “growing cause for optimism that the lockdown is working to suppress the virus”.