The recent rise in cases of coronavirus in Scotland may have “peaked” according to the latest provisional data, a public health expert has said.

Dr Kimberly Marsh, a consultant healthcare scientist at Public Health Scotland (PHS), said Covid-19 did not appear to follow seasonal patterns such as illnesses like flu.

The latest data from PHS, for the week ending July 14, had cases at 1130 – down from 1245 the previous week.

Dr Marsh told BBC Radio Scotland’s The Sunday Show: “Our data in Scotland shows that there has been an increase in Covid-19 and this has been really seen since mid April, with a steeper increase in June.

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“There are, however, some early signals that this wave may have peaked, but our data are still provisional for this week.”

She said there could be a number of reasons behind the summer increase in cases, including the variant known as KP.3.

The Covid vaccine is still effective against the new variant, she said.

Discussing the latest advice for those feeling ill, Dr Marsh added: “If you’re feeling unwell, if you have symptoms, you should avoid contact with others until you’re better and fever-free.”

Good hand hygiene and ventilation are still important to protect people at risk of the most serious outcomes, she said.