A further 82 coronavirus deaths have been recorded in Scotland over the last 24 hours.
The First Minister also announced that 1,201 new cases of COVID-19 were reported overnight, taking the total figure to 176,533.
1,938 people are in hospital being treated for the deadly virus while 142 people remain in intensive care.
Since the start of the pandemic in March last year, a total of 5,970 people have died after returning a positive test.
The news came as The Record told how a grieving son who is suffering from the effects of long covid has been forced to beg strangers for help over Facebook as he lies in agony unable to get out of bed.
Robert Barrett, 56, of Dunoon, Argyll, contracted coronavirus last March – near the start of the outbreak in Scotland – and ended up in Inverclyde Royal Hospital.
His mum Jean Donald, 75, was taken into the same hospital suffering from pnuemonia linked to the virus but died on April 6.
Robert was wheeled to her bedside to say goodbye. He spent a few hours with her but he was unable to be with her at the end.
He was discharged from hospital three days later.
Since then, Robert has battled with long Covid and is awaiting a scan to check out a possible blood clot.
