Thread by @theSNP

First Minister @NicolaSturgeon at #FMQs: "Let me first of all say the vaccination programme is not lagging behind in Scotland. I set out yesterday that we had, very deliberately, focused first on elderly residents in care homes."

NS: "Why did we do that? Because these are the people, according to the JCVI, who are most vulnerable to becoming ill, and dying, with Covid." #FMQs

NS: "So we have now vaccinated, with the first dose, more than 90% of those elderly residents of care homes." #FMQs

NS: "And that is what we think will have the biggest and most immediate impact in reducing the death toll from this virus - which, as we heard from the figures I reported today, is still far too high." #FMQs

NS: "The reason why the overall numbers, therefore, are lower at this stage because of that focus on care homes, is because it takes longer and is more labour-intensive to vaccinate in care homes than in the community." #FMQs

NS: "Interestingly, I've seen some comments this morning attributed to the UK Government explaining why the daily rate of vaccination in England has dropped over the past three days." #FMQs

NS: "The explanation given is that they have decided to focus more this week on catching up in care homes, and it takes longer, therefore the wider programme has slowed down as a result." #FMQs

NS: "The supply into Scotland of AstraZeneca has not, until recently, delivered enough packs for all GPs to have a pack of vaccine. Remembering that some GPs will require multiple packs because their patient populations are bigger." #FMQs

NS: "Right now - and this will be moving all the time - 75% of GP practices either have supply or are in the process of getting supply. That figure will never be 100% because not every single GP practice of course is participating in doing vaccinations." #FMQs

NS: "You can see from our daily figures that our community vaccination programme, the vaccination programme overall, is ramping up. If you look at the vaccines administered on Monday this week, 19,600, that is an increase of 56% on the previous Monday." #FMQs

NS: "Interestingly, since comparisons are being made by others, not by me, the increase in England from one Monday to the next was less than 40%, so our rate of increase is actually higher there as we come out of care homes and go into the community." #FMQs

NS: "And, of course, yesterday, based on the figures I have just reported, 25,327 vaccinations were administered, which is more than Monday. We are on an increasing trajectory of vaccination as we step up and pick up the pace in the over-80s." #FMQs

NS: "We are working on a target of vaccinating all over-80s and everybody in the JCVI groups 1 & 2 by the first week in February." #FMQs

NS: "The progress of the vaccination programme is strong. My job, and the Health Secretary's job, is to ensure that it remains so." #FMQs

NS: "It is the case we have been focusing on care homes, rightly so, because that is the quickest way to reduce the death toll, because people in care homes are most vulnerable."

NS: "How many times over the past year, rightly, have I stood here and been under pressure to answer questions about the death toll and the wider toll of this virus in our care homes? So it's right that we've prioritised care homes. Indeed, it's what the JCVI recommended." #FMQs

NS: "And it does take longer.

This is what I've seen it being reported that the UK Government is saying today - to explain the dip in the English vaccination rate over the past few days." #FMQs

NS: "The explanation - 'there has been a big push to finish vaccinating care homes and they take more time, 4-6 hours each, hence slowing the overall effort.'" #FMQs

NS: "It is the case that, when you focus on care homes, you don't do as many because it takes longer." #FMQs

NS: "We, unlike the UK Government - I don't know what their figure is now, at the start of the week I think it was only 50% of care home residents vaccinated, and we're now over 90%, and therefore able to speed up the rest of the programme." #FMQs

NS: "Secondly, on the timing of the over-80s. I think the first time I spoke about this was last time in one of my daily updates. I said we'd do over-80s within four weeks, which was always that first week in February." #FMQs

NS: "That is not a change. I said it in Parliament again yesterday. The start of February. That is the target date for vaccinating all of the JCVI groups 1 & 2." #FMQs

NS: "Then, of course, we do groups 3 & 4 and the target date for that is mid-February. Again, I've seen comments from the UK Government this morning talking about the rephasing of Pfizer supply, making that a very tight target to meet but one we're all determined to do." #FMQs

NS: "If Ruth Davidson, in a programme like this, doesn't think it is really important and responsible for governments to refine estimates as knowledge of supplies increases..." #FMQs

NS: "..then I think it'll just be another reason why many people across the country are breathing a real sigh of relief that she's not standing here right now." #FMQs

NS: "One of the things that's changed - and if Ruth Davidson's not aware of this, it's on the front page of the UK Times today with the UK Government talking about it - Pfizer has just rephased its supply for the next few months." #FMQs

NS: "So, over this month and next month we're going to have fewer doses of Pfizer. We'll have the same overall, but the phasing is different." #FMQs

NS: "Now, is Ruth Davidson seriously suggesting that, in the face of a change like that, a government shouldn't refine its estimates for when it'll be able to deliver vaccines into people's arms?" #FMQs

NS: "Because if she is suggesting that, then I think that is ludicrous, to be perfectly honest about it." #FMQs

NS: "I think many of us across the Chamber, and across Scotland, will be very happy to say cheerio to Donald Trump today.

I think 'don't haste ye back' might be the perfect rejoinder to him." #FMQs

NS: "And in advance of the inauguration later on I'm sure we all want to send our congratulations to soon-to-be President Biden and soon-to-be Vice President Kamala Harris." #FMQs

NS: "Kamala Harris, in particular today, doesn't just become the Vice President. She makes history in a number of different ways and she has my warm congratulations on that." #FMQs

NS: "I sometimes wonder, when Willie Rennie is scripting these questions, if it never crosses his mind...what is my possible motivation for just opposing all these things that, if I really thought they'd help us beat this virus and save lives, why on earth would I oppose them?"

NS: "Actually what we do in the Scottish Government - we don't always get it right, I'd be the last to say we do, we've made mistakes in the course of this, we've tried to learn as we go..." #FMQs

NS: "..but we try to understand the technology, the use of the technology, the pros and cons and make informed decisions. Why, today of all days, do I think it is important on testing to make that point?" #FMQs

NS: "South of the Border, not that long ago, before Christmas, there was a big announcement made about the rollout of lateral flow testing in schools to pupils daily, lateral flow testing has been paused today because it's not practical and sensible to do it in that way." #FMQs

NS: "So we try to make sure that we get these things as right as we possibly can. The lateral flow technology - we haven't had lateral flow tests in volumes at all until relatively recently in the pandemic." #FMQs

NS: "And there is still mixed opinion, which is part of the reason the MHRA hasn't given the go-ahead to what was wanted in England in schools about just where and how effective they are to use." #FMQs

NS: "I think they are an addition to what we've done through PCR but we need to continue to consider these things really, really carefully." #FMQs

NS: "The last point I'd make about this. I hope people would agree, I'm one of the last people that ever stands here and is complacent in any way about the challenge. We're in a precarious, difficult position. People are living under horrendous restrictions." #FMQs

NS: "The situation in Scotland is not good, but if we're doing everything as wrong as Willie Rennie keeps trying to suggest, then why is it, albeit we're in a very difficult position..." #FMQs

NS: ".. actually case rates have been, almost throughout this pandemic and remain so much lower than they are in the other UK nations and in many other parts of Europe?" #FMQs

NS: "So we've got lots still to do, lots still to learn, of course we make mistakes, but sometimes, sometimes, maybe people want to reflect on the fact that we don't always get everything wrong." #FMQs

NS: "Can we clear one thing up at the outset, Presiding Officer? Just because I disagree with Willie Rennie, just because I think he's downright wrong and doesn't always necessarily understand the issues that he's asking me about..." #FMQs

NS: "..just because he puts words in my mouth that I've never, ever used, does not mean I don't like or accept getting asked questions." #FMQs