Good Morning Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland

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Prof Emma Thomson says that although large events can cause "super-spreading" of a virus, the Nike conference in Edinburgh at the end of February was "very definitely not the whole story".

That outbreak resulted in 25 cases of coronavirus, including eight in Scotland.

She said that there were "at least 113 introductions" of Covid-19 into Scotland.

"I suspect many people came back, for example from holidays, skiing and things like that with the infection and that took hold in the community on many occasions," she told Radio Scotland.

Prof Thomson has been able to track changes in the virus's genetic code across different regions of Scotland.

She said this enabled scientists to determine which country the infection had come from.

Good Morning Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland

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An infectious disease expert says it is possible that coronavirus was present in Scotland "earlier in February".

Emma Thomson, Professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, has been mapping the spread of the virus after it emerged in China in December and then arrived in Scotland via continental Europe.

The first official Covid-19 case in Scotland was confirmed on 1 March, although it is now known there was an outbreak in Edinburgh in February.

• How did coronavirus spread across Scotland?

Good Morning Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland

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Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire will see the steepest economic decline of any council areas in Scotland this year.

That is the warning from accountancy group KPMG, which says the oil price collapse in the wake of the pandemic will hit the north east hardest.

The study does say Scotland's economy will bounce back faster than the rest of the UK, but warns recovery will be slower than predicted.

It also suggests UK unemployment could rise from 4% at the start of lockdown, to 11% during next year.

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The pandemic has resulted in lessons being suspended and no practical tests being sat.

Instructors have criticised the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency for failing to provide any proper guidance on when services will resume.

The DVSA says the current situation is being kept under constant review.

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The rail operator said it's preparing for any potential easing of a lockdown that could mean more people travelling by train.

But it is warning that customers may have to take personal responsibility, and follow strict rules to ensure their journey is safe.

From Monday hand sanitiser units will be in place at stations to help reduce the risk from coronavirus.

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Nicola Sturgeon will announce the numbers of people that have already gone through Scotland's new Covid-19 tracking system this afternoon.

The Test and Protect strategy aims to ensure people with symptoms can get tested.

If their result is positive then anyone who has been in contact with them will be traced and told to self isolate.

The first minister says the data will include how many positive cases have been detected and how many have had their contacts traced.

David Cowan
BBC Scotland

Covid-19 patient George Clark has had a tearful reunion with his family after leaving the hospital where he spent 56 days in intensive care.

The 61-year-old was the first patient with Covid to go into the ICU at University Hospital Ayr and his family have not seen him face-to-face for 11 weeks.

His wife Fiona told BBC Scotland there were times over the past three months when she thought this day would never come.

Daughter Rebecca, a primary school teacher in Edinburgh, says it was "probably the hardest times of our lives".

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A new report has shed light on how coronavirus first spread across Scotland, with suggestions the virus could have been spreading in the community before the first cases were confirmed.

Early patients were found to have strains of the virus closely related to those circulating in countries including Italy, Austria and Spain.

The first confirmed case of Covid-19 in Scotland was a man from Tayside who had been to a rugby match in Italy in mid-February.

Within three days, the first case of someone who had not been abroad was confirmed - community transmission was already taking place.

• Read more here

• After two days of no new deaths in Scotland, seven fatalities were registered, through a lab test, as having had coronavirus

• The ONS figure for whole of UK - which looks at coronavirus being mentioned on death certificates - showed 50,107 deaths up to 29 May
• Interim chief medical officer Dr Gregor Smith said the virus was likely to be spreading in the community in Scotland before the first cases were confirmed
• Prof Jason Leitch, national clinical director, said there are "no imminent plans" to change the two metre distancing rule
• 8.9m workers are now covered by the UK government's furlough scheme
• Scotland's Test and Protect data will be published for the first time today
• Nicola Sturgeon announced an expert group to look at the impact of Covid-19 on Scotland's ethnic minorities
• The Scottish Police Federation called for anyone who commits a "Covid-19 assault" to be automatically held in custody until they appear in court
• Transmission of the virus by asymptomatic people is unknown, the WHO clarified, after earlier suggesting it was rare
• More hotel groups warned staff of likely redundancies

Image source, SNS

Welcome to Wednesday's live coverage.

We will be bringing you all the developments on the pandemic in Scotland throughout the day.

The first minister will address parliament this afternoon and take questions from MSPs. You can watch the session here on the live page or on BBC iPlayer or TV.

And data on Scotland's Test and Protect system will be published for the first time today.