Scottish Government confirms three deaths and 7,561 new Covid cases in last 24 hours

The Scottish Government has confirmed that three people have died from covid in the last 24 hours.The latest figures for Scotland showed that 7,561 further cases of the virus have been identified.It brings the death toll since last March, of people who first tested positive for the virus within the previous 28 days, to 9,908.There are currently 1,382 people in hospital confirmed to have covid with 55 being treated in intensive care.The total number of positive cases recorded in Scotland since the pandemic started stands at 1,032,624.To date, 4,391,558 people have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccination with 4,045,667 having a second jab and 3,101,096 receiving a third dose or booster.The latest figures come as Nicola Sturgeon criticised the UK Government over reports that free lateral flow tests will end.Under plans reportedly being weighed up by Whitehall officials, the tests could soon only be available in "high-risk" settings such as care homes, hospitals and schools.A Whitehall source told the Sunday Times: “I don’t think we are in a world where we can continue to hand out free lateral flow tests to everybody forevermore."It’s likely we will move to a scenario where there is less testing but where we have a capacity to ramp it up if necessary, such as in the winter.”The First Minister said the Scottish Government would consider funding lateral flow tests for the public if Tory ministers halted the scheme at a UK level.She claimed in a Tweet that such a move would be “utterly wrongheaded” in the fight against coronavirus.Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond.