ANOTHER eight coronavirus patients in Scotland have died, bringing the total to 33, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced.

She also said the number of people who had tested positive for Covid-19 had risen by 165 from Wednesday's total, rising to 1059.

The First Minister confirmed that 72 people with Covid-19 or suspected Covid-19 are now being cared for in intensive care units.

Sturgeon also wished Prime Minister Boris Johnson well after he tested positive for coronavirus and confirmed that she had not been tested.

Scotland's chief medical officer Catherine Calderwood said she now estimates that more than 65,000 people in Scotland have coronavirus.

This up from the 40-50,000 people she predicted on Thursday.

Speaking alongside Scotland's First Minster Nicola Sturgeon in Edinburgh, she said there will come a time when she can talk about the numbers of infected slowing, but "that time is not yet and will not be for some weeks to come".

Asked about Johnson's positive test for coronavirus, Calderwood said that the UK's four chief medical officers have discussed and agreed a protocol for senior people in Government to be tested only if there are clinical reasons.

She added: "But also that this would be for significant people, the lose of whom from Government would make a big difference to our coronavirus effort."

Sturgeon sent her "best wishes" to the Prime Minister and his family and said if she experienced symptoms she would seek advise from the chief medical officer.

Speaking at a press briefing, Nicola Sturgeon said the Scottish Government would be putting an additional £3.8 million into NHS mental health support services.

She said: "Half a million of that will support the Breathing Space phone line and web service and £2.1m will be for the NHS mental health hub which offers advice on wellbeing and mental health issues to people who have called the NHS 24 service."

She added that the mental health hub will expand its staffing so it is available to the public 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week.