The number of deaths involving coronavirus in Scotland has risen to 126.

Nicola Sturgeon confirmed 50 more deaths involving the Covid-19 strain at a briefing on Thursday.

However, the First Minister clarified 40 of those were deaths which have only now been reported as occurring due to the pandemic.

The additional ten have been in the past 24 hours.

Ms Sturgeon said: "The figure for today, based on our method of reporting so far, which to be clear comes from health board notifications on deaths with a laboratory confirmation of COVID-19, would be ten, which would have taken the total to 86. 

"However, we have also been advised overnight of an additional 40 deaths that had not previously been notified due to delays in family liaison."

She added: "It wouldn't be accurate to add all of the additional 40 deaths to today's total. 

"They will require to be distributed over a number of days, and we will seek to provide that further detail later today."

Medical chiefs estimate 126,000 people have now been infected north of the Border.

More than 2,600 people have tested positive - 682 of whom are in Greater Glasgow and Clyde alone.

Ms Sturgeon said 162 people were in intensive care last night, an increase of 15 on the day before.

Meanwhile, 1,282 people are now in hospital with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 across Scotland.

As of 2pm on Thursday, 18,128 people have undergone testing for the disease.

The First Minister said 3,400 NHS workers or their family members have now been tested for COVID-19.

She said all current testing is aimed at identifying people who have the virus at the time they have symptoms. 

But she said the hope is that in future tests will be offered which can indicate if a person has had the infection. 

Dr Catherine Calderwood, Scotland's chief medical officer, stressed it is a "fallacy" to assume testing slows the virus or is part of efforts to prevent transmission. 

She said: "The testing gives us more information, but the social distancing and all of these stringent measures are what we actually need to prevent spread and to prevent serious illness and death."

Elsewhere, she said each death "represents probably a thousand more people in Scotland who have this coronavirus". 

She added: "Obviously, the vast majority of them are not diagnosed and some of them may not be aware that they have it."

Dr Calderwood said she expected more people to become "seriously unwell" in the coming weeks.

She said: "What we would really be hoping to see, and unfortunately that's unlikely for several months, is that the deaths stop rising day on day, but actually start to slow down and then, in fact, start to reduce."