HERE are the latest estimates of areas with the highest Covid-19 prevalence in local authority areas in Scotland, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

All figures are calculated as an average over the seven days to March 12 and refer to infections among people in private households.

The estimates are based on sample sizes that are smaller than those used for the national and regional figures. This means there is more uncertainty around the figures and caution should be taken when interpreting or ranking them, the ONS said.

The information reads, left to right: name of local authority, percentage of people in private households testing positive for Covid-19 over the seven days to March 12; the estimated ratio of people with Covid-19.

  1. North Lanarkshire; South Lanarkshire 7.94% (1 in 13)
  2. East Dunbartonshire; East Renfrewshire; Glasgow; Inverclyde; Renfrewshire; West Dunbartonshire 7.81% (1 in 13)
  3. Dumfries & Galloway; East Ayrshire; North Ayrshire; Scottish Borders; South Ayrshire 7.20% (1 in 14)
  4. Angus; Clackmannanshire; Dundee; Falkirk; Fife; Perth & Kinross; Stirling 7.16% (1 in 14)
  5. Aberdeen; Aberdeenshire; Argyll & Bute; East Lothian; Edinburgh; Highland; Midlothian; Moray; Na h-Eileanan Siar; Orkney Islands; Shetland Islands; West Lothian 6.09% (1 in 16)
    Meanwhile on Friday Scotland recorded another 23 coronavirus-linked deaths.

It means the number of people who have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 has risen to 11,098.

The Scottish Government data published on Friday also shows 18,124 new cases of Covid-19 have been reported, though that covers more than a 24-hour period – from 2pm on Wednesday and throughout Thursday – due to technical issues experienced earlier in the week.

READ MORE: Covid in Scotland: Hospitalisations climb as case rates hit record highs

There were 2050 people in hospital on Thursday with recently confirmed Covid-19, up 12 on the previous day, with 31 in intensive care – which was no change on Wednesday’s number.

It comes as Office for National Statistics data shows levels of Covid infection in Scotland have hit another record high.

They have now risen for seven weeks in a row, with 376,300 people likely to have had the virus last week – or one in 14.

This is up from 299,900 people, or one in 18, the previous week.