44 new cases confirmed in Lothians as Scotland's death toll rises to 296

The daily breakdown of the figures have been released

There have been 44 new confirmed cases of people with coronavirus in the NHS Lothian board area in the past 24 hours.

The latest figures, published by the Scottish Government at 2pm on Tuesday, show a rise from 577 to 621 Covid-19 cases in the Lothian area.

296 patients in the country have died in Scotland after contracting the virus, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed earlier today.

Coronavirus symptoms

Coronavirus is a respiratory disease which seems to start with a fever, followed by a dry cough. After a week it leads to shortness of breath and some patients require hospital treatment.

In more severe cases, coronavirus can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, multiple organ failure and even death.

Those with weakened immune systems - older people and those with underlying health conditions like asthma or heart disease - are more likely to become severely ill.

The World Health Organisation says the incubation period lasts up to 14 days.

As it's a new illness, it is unclear how exactly coronavirus spreads from person to person, but similar viruses are spread by droplets in coughs and sneezes.

Protecting yourself against coronavirus

The Scottish Government website offers the following advice from NHS Inform to help reduce the risk of getting and spreading respiratory infections by:

- Avoiding direct hand contact with your eyes, nose and mouth.

- Maintaining good hand hygiene - washing hands with soap and water or alcohol sanitiser: After coughing or sneezing; going to toilet; before eating and drinking.

- Avoiding direct contact with people that have respiratory illness and avoid using their personal items such as mobile phones.

- Covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing with disposable tissues and disposing of them in the nearest waste bin after use.

Anyone who thinks they may be affected by coronavirus should call the NHS 111 phone service for further advice. They should not go to their GP or to A&E.

According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, there have been more than 213,000 cases of coronavirus worldwide with over 8,800 deaths.

The outbreak originated in China's Hubei province in December before spreading globally.

Latest Scottish figures

Ayrshire and Arran 296

Borders 149

Dumfries and Galloway 152

Fife 239

Forth Valley 243

Grampian 210

Greater Glasgow and Clyde 1094

Highland 112

Lanarkshire 547

Lothian 621

Orkney 4

Shetland 42

Tayside 516

Eileanan Siar (Western Isles) 4