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In a press conference earlier this afternoon, the First Minister revealed that there were now 3,001 confirmed cases of the disease across Scotland. That figure has increased by 399 since her televised address on Thursday.

Ms Sturgeon stressed once again that the actual number of cases of coronavirus in Scotland is likely to be far higher than the figures show.

She urged people to continue to follow Government guidelines on social distancing, and said 120,000 vulnerable Scots had been written to by the Chief Medical Officer, outlining how they could be protected from the virus.

The number of confirmed coronavirus case in the NHS Lothian board area has risen again. Pic: Shutterstock/Mark Scates/SNS Group.

The latest Scottish Governenment figure, published every day at 2pm, reveal that there are 408 confirmed cases in the NHS Lothian region – up 52 since yesterday.

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Coronavirus cases in Scotland – the full breakdown

Ayrshire and Arran – 240 (221 yesterday)

Borders – 100 (93 yesterday)

Dumfries and Galloway – 122 (104 yesterday)

Fife – 147 (119 yesterday)

Forth Valley – 189 (172 yesterday)

Grampian – 173 (128 yesterday)

Greater Glasgow and Clyde – 779 (682 yesterday)

Highland – 72 (65 yesterday)

Lanarkshire – 377 (320 yesterday)

Lothian – 408 (356 yesterday)

Orkney – 2 (2 yesterday)

Shetland – 36 (30 yesterday)

Tayside – 353 (307 yesterday)

Western Isles – 3 (3 yesterday)

Increased testing

The First Minister said the Scottish Government was increasing the current capacity of 1,900 coronavirus tests each day to 3,500 by the end of the month, and suggested that a new facility run by Glasgow University could boost capacity even further.

Sturgeon said the changes would allow the NHS to test more key workers.

She also suggested that anti-body testing could be essential for allowing Scotland to move out of its current lockdown.

The tests, which would allow doctors to identify people who have had coronavirus and then fully recovered, are not yet available for Covid-19.

Sturgeon said she hoped reliable forms of the test could be created for coronavirus soon, but admitted that "that could be some time away."

Coronavirus symptoms

COVID-19 is a respiratory illness that can affect lungs and airways. It is caused by a virus called coronavirus.

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.

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.

According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, there have been more than a million cases of coronavirus worldwide with more than 51,000 deaths.

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

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52 new coronavirus cases confirmed in Lothians as Scotland death toll rises by 46