Scots nursing students can finish their final year helping fighting coronavirus in within the NHS, the health secretary has announced.
Speaking at Holyrood, Jeane Freeman said students in their final year will be offered paid work with the NHS to ensure their degree is completed.
Junior doctors, in their first year, can volunteer to help hospital staff and will also be offered paid work.
She added the government was working to secure protective equipment for all frontline medical staff.
Her announcement came as it emerged there had been two more deaths from the disease in Scotland over the past 24 hours.
The total number of coronavirus deaths in the country now stands 16 while the total number of positive cases rises to 584 - an increase of 85 overnight.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon have pleaded with the public to stay at home to stop the spread of the disease.
Tough new lockdown restrictions have now been brought into force across the UK, with residents required to stay inside most of the day and not socialise.
Concern has been expressed for how the NHS will cope with the crisis.
Announcing the new restrictions yesterday Sturgeon said: "They are essential to prevent our National Health Service being overwhelmed, so that it can continue to provide treatment to all those who need it.
"And they are essential quite bluntly, to save lives."
The UK government has today sent out text messages reminding people to stay at home.
