Scotland has recorded its highest daily Covid-19 death toll since winter after 37 more people died following a positive test.
Scottish Government statistics show it is the biggest daily increase since February 24, when 47 people died from the virus.
It is the second day in a row that the number of deaths has been above 30.
It means 8,464 people have now died within 28 days of testing positive for coronavirus.
Despite this, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been eager to stress that cases are now falling – after they began to rise significantly in mid-August.
Five of the new deaths have been registered in Dundee with one each in Angus and Fife, and none in Perth and Kinross.
More than 4,000 new infections have also been reported, with 86 people currently in intensive care and 1,057 in hospital with recently confirmed Covid-19.
The test positivity rate in Scotland now stands at 8%, according to the latest data.
Of the new cases, 135 are in Dundee and 309 in Fife.
The latest results also include 123 new cases in Perth and Kinross and 48 in Angus.
In Dundee the seven-day case rate now stands at 612 per 100,000 people, down from more than 800 two weeks ago.
In Fife it now stands at 593 per 100,000, which is also down from more than 800.
Earlier this week, it emerged that staff in some care homes are being sacked if they refuse to get vaccinated against Covid-19 – leading to union fears about worker shortages.