The proportion of people in Scotland testing positive for Covid-19 fell last week, according to the latest figures.

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed an estimated 105,100 people in private households had the virus in the week ending March 7.

This equated to 2% of the population, or about one in 50 people, down from about one in 40 the previous week.

Michelle Bowen, ONS head of health surveillance dissemination, said: “While infections have decreased in Scotland, the trends remain uncertain across the rest of the UK.

“It’s a mixed picture across English regions and age groups, though positivity continues to rise in the over-70s.”

In England, an estimated one in 40 people had Covid-19 in the week ending March 7 while in Wales it was about one in 45.

The figure in Northern Ireland was about one in 70 people.

Meanwhile, the latest National Records of Scotland figures showed there were 62 deaths involving Covid-19 registered in the week to March 12, which was 22 more than the previous week.

As of March 12 2023, there have been a total of 17,001 deaths registered in Scotland where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.