SCOTTISH government advisers raised serious concerns today about the prevalence of coronavirus infections across Scotland, as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced plans for a public inquiry into the handling of the pandemic.

Scotland’s national clinical director Professor Jason Leitch said that he and other public health advisers were worried by a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases.

Figures released today showed the highest figure for new Covid cases in a single day since the beginning of the pandemic last year, with new cases across Scotland more than doubling over the past week.