Nicola Sturgeon claimed there are "rays of sunshine" after announcing progress in tackling the spread of coronavirus
She said the daily positivity rate is below the level at which the World Health Organisation considers a pandemic to be “under control”.
The number of vaccines administered also reached a new high.
Scotland is currently in lockdown, with the restrictions expected to be in place until at least the end of February.
The number of covid cases soared after Christmas, but at a media briefing Sturgeon announced that the strict curbs were having a positive effect.
Giving the latest figures, the First Minister said 1,149 positive tests had been recorded in Scotland in the past 24 hours.
The daily positivity rate has also decreased to 4.9% - the first time the figure has fallen this low in more than a month.
She said: "We should allow ourselves to reflect just a little bit on the rays of sunshine when they appear."
Sturgeon added that the "light at the end of the tunnel" is "more visible now" than at any point in recent weeks.
More than 45,000 people were vaccinated during the past 24 hours - the third day in a row Scotland has recorded its highest daily total.
