Nearly 400,000 people in Scotland 'have had coronavirus'

An estimated one in 11 people – around 400,000 – in Scotland had contracted Covid-19 by December, new figures suggest.

The data comes from the Office for National Statistic’s Covid-19 Infection Survey.

The survey estimates that around 398,000 people aged over 16 in Scotland would have tested positive for antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 on a blood test in December, suggesting they had the infection in the past.

This is about 8.9 per cent of the nation’s population and is up from 6.5 per cent in November.

A total of 163,762 people in Scotland have tested positive for the virus since the start of the pandemic, with the death toll from confirmed cases currently standing at 5305.

In England, it is estimated one in eight people have had Covid-19, in Wales the figure is one in 10, and in Northern Ireland the estimate is one in 13.

Almost 2000 people were being treated for coronavirus in Scottish hospitals as of Monday. The total of 1959 well exceeds the approximately 1500 patients who were in hospital at the peak of the first wave last spring.

There were 146 patients in intensive care when the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon held her daily briefing on Monday.

Current lockdown restrictions, including the closure of schools were being reviewed on Tuesday, with an announcement due later.

The survey was carried out alongside the the University of Oxford, University of Manchester, Public Health England and Wellcome Trust