FIFE has now reached 10,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and 471 deaths - a year and a day after the first two cases were recorded in the Kingdom.

It was on March 6 last year when the Scottish Government announced that two positive tests for COVID-19 had emerged in the NHS Fife health board area.

At the time, Dr Esther Curnock is Deputy Director of Public Health at NHS Fife, stated: "NHS Fife has well-rehearsed procedures in place to deal with the potential of communicable viruses such as coronavirus, and has been preparing for the eventuality of positive cases in Fife for a number of weeks.

"We continue to work with Scottish Government and colleagues nationally to ensure we are well prepared to manage any cases of the virus moving forward."

Fife Council's education chief, Carrie Lindsay, issued a letter on that same day to all parents and carers with the assurance that Fife schools would not have to close in the wake of the two confirmed cases in Fife being reported.

She said: "Public health advice is clear that schools do not need to close and pupils should attend as normal."

As part of the Scottish Government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Deputy First Minister, John Swinney, announced on March 19 that all local authority schools and nurseries in Scotland would close from the end of the school day on March 20.

Twelve months later, figures from the government for Sunday, March 7 (yesterday), revealed that the number of cases surpassed 10,000.

A rise of eight positive tests from Saturday to Sunday resulted in Fife's new total of confirmed COVID-19 cases reaching 10,003.

Data from the National Records of Scotland’s (NRS) latest report shows that as many as 471 have died in the NHS Fife health board area since the beginning of the outbreak.

The NRS death total is different from the count of deaths published daily by the Scottish Government because the latter is based on deaths of those who have tested positive for COVID-19.

The figures from NRS include all deaths where coronavirus (including suspected cases) was mentioned on the person’s death certificate.

Scottish Government figures show that the number of people in Fife hospitals being treated for coronavirus currently stands at 25, with the highest total at any one time being 123 on January 20/21 this year.

There are currently less than five people in intensive care across Fife.

The largest total was on November 5 and 6 when 12 people were being treated.