Coronavirus: 41 more deaths as cases rise by 572 overnight

A further 41 people have died in Scotland after being diagnosed with coronavirus, the Scottish Government has confirmed.

Total confirmed cases of the virus has risen to 110,612 – a jump of 572 in the past 24 hours.

The figures come amid fears a new variant strain is accelerating the spread of Covid in the UK.

A four-nations call was held on Saturday as Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces growing pressure to further tighten coronavirus rules across England.

Nicola Sturgeon said she would chair a Scottish Government Cabinet meeting in the afternoon to “discuss emerging evidence” on the new variant.

Although cases are at a lower level in Scotland than the rest of the UK, the First Minister warned “preventative action may be necessary” to stop the faster spreading strain taking hold.

The official death toll in Scotland currently stands at 4280, however weekly figures on suspected Covid-19 deaths recorded by National Records of Scotland suggest the most up-to-date total is now at least 6261 – which takes into account this week’s additional deaths.

According to management information reported by NHS boards across Scotland, 1033 people are in hospital with confirmed or suspected Covid-19 – an increase of one overnight. Out of those, 53 patients are in intensive care.

Of the new cases reported on Saturday, 121 are in Lanarkshire, 120 are in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde region, 104 are in Lothian and 65 are in Ayrshire and Arran.

The rest of the cases are spread out across eight other health board areas.