Thread by @theSNP

First Minister @NicolaSturgeon: "I'll give a quick update on today's statistics.

803 new cases were reported yesterday. That's 4.8% of all the tests carried out, and the total number of cases now stands at 188,345."

NS: "Currently there are 1,542 people in hospital. That is 76 fewer than yesterday, and that is now just 22 above the peak of last spring, which is positive."

NS: "113 people who have tested positive for Covid or been admitted to hospital with Covid within the last 28 days are currently in intensive care - that's one more than yesterday."

NS: "I deliberately gave that definition because that is the standard measure we have been using for our daily intensive care figures, but that definition doesn't cover some patients, 30 as of today, who have been in intensive care with Covid now for more than 28 days."

NS: "The number of Covid patients experiencing long stays in ICU is now increasing, and therefore from today we will be publishing data on this additional measure."

NS: "I also regret to report that, in the past 24 hours, a further 50 deaths were registered of patients who first tested positive within the past 28 days, and the total number of people who have died under the daily measurement we use is now 6,551."

NS: "National Records of Scotland has just published its weekly update - that includes cases where Covid is a suspected or contributory cause of death..."

NS: "..and today's update shows that, by Sunday, the total number of registered deaths linked to Covid under that wider definition was 8,726."

NS: "374 of those deaths were registered last week. That is 70 fewer than in the previous week. Once again, I want to take this opportunity to send my condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one."

NS: "Let me also quickly update Parliament on the latest vaccination figures. As of 8:30 this morning, 985,569 people have received their first dose of the vaccine.

That is an increase of 57,447 since yesterday."

NS: "That's the second-highest daily total so far which, given the severe weather conditions yesterday is, in my view, nothing short of extraordinary."

NS: "My thanks go to everyone who made it happen - those running the programme across the country, and of course, those braving the elements to get the jag."

NS: "We've now vaccinated, with the first dose, 99.8% of residents in older peoples' care homes. At least 96% of people over 80 living in the community have also now had the first dose, together with 80% of 75 to 79-year-olds and 45% of those aged 70-74."

NS: "We remain on course to vaccinate everyone over 70 and all people with a serious clinical vulnerability by mid-February. We're also now accelerating the vaccination of 65 to 69-year-olds."

NS: "Vaccination will, in time, offer us a route back to greater normality - however, we know it must be accompanied by other measures.

That's why this week we have confirmed further steps t increase testing and also why we are adopting strict travel restrictions."

NS: "Michael Matheson announced yesterday that, from Monday, all travellers to Scotland from outside the common travel area will be required to undergo managed quarantine."

NS: "For the moment, alongside vaccination testing and travel restrictions, lockdown continues to be the most important way we have of keeping the virus under control."

NS: "These restrictions are tough for all of us but they are working. Let me end by repeating the most important rule of all."

NS: "Please stay at home except for essential purposes. When you are out, remember FACTS advice.

But please, stay at home whenever possible. It remains essential to getting and keeping the virus under control as we vaccinate more people."

NS: "So please, stick with it, stay at home, protect the NHS, and save lives."

First Minister @NicolaSturgeon at #FMQs: "Children have lost a lot of education and it's really important that we support them to make that up."

NS: "Children are being affected in a whole plethora of ways and I think it's the wellbeing of children we need to have in mind as we go through the rest of the pandemic and into the recovery phase." #FMQs

NS: "There is a big job of work to be done to make sure the impact on our young people here does not turn into a long-term impact that saddles them for the rest of their lives." #FMQs

NS: "That is, yes, about making sure we help them make up lost education and lost learning time, but also that we support them to deal with the wider impact of this..." #FMQs

NS: "..the separation from their friends, the worry and anxiety Covid has brought to their parents, no doubt, and to them as well." #FMQs

NS: "The long periods of time without seeing close relatives like grandparents. That is all having, I think, a deep emotional impact on our young people, and I think whatever we do in the months, years to come, has to take account of recovery in the widest sense..." #FMQs

NS: "..so that whatever happens in the wider sense, this generation of young people do not pay that lifelong price for the hopefully once-in-a-century pandemic that we are unfortunate enough to be living through." #FMQs

NS: "In the early phase of this vaccination programme, we have limited supplies and therefore have to prioritise where those supplies go first." #FMQs

NS: "Instead of Government doing that based on our own judgements, we have, as indeed we always do with issues around vaccination and immunisation, taken the clinical expert advice of the JCVI..." #FMQs

NS: "..who have asked us to prioritise based on the order of people in clinical need, and at greatest risk of becoming seriously ill and dying. That's the list we're working through right now." #FMQs

NS: "We hope to have completed that initial list by the early part of May. To recap, that is everybody above the age of 50 and any adult of any age with underlying health conditions." #FMQs

NS: "There will be some police officers included in that, just as there will be some teachers included in that. But as we are, with limited supplies, going through this early phase..." #FMQs

NS: "..every time we were to decide to prioritise with greater priority one group of people, we would have to deprioritise another group. And that would be a group that the JCVI have considered is more clinically at risk." #FMQs

NS: "I don't think that would be, ethically, the right thing to do.

However, as we get to the point where we are getting to the end of that list, we will of course be thinking about the order in which we vaccinate the rest of the adult population." #FMQs

NS: "The JCVI are currently considering what advice they might give on prioritisation in the second phase. We hope to receive that in the near future." #FMQs

NS: "Part of their consideration will be on whether there should be occupational prioritisation for healthy individuals from 50-60, subject to latest data on vaccine safety and effectiveness." #FMQs

NS: "Supported by the Tackling Child Poverty Fund, we've invested more than £7m in this year in the new Parental Employability Support Fund, which is designed to help low-income parents in particular from the priority family types identified in the delivery plan..." #FMQs

NS: "..to progress into, and then within, employment. This year's draft budget confirms further funding of £5m for this service, and we'll shortly confirm details of additional funding to strengthen the support available to both disabled parents and young parents." #FMQs

NS: "This, of course, is in addition to the wide-ranging action we're taking through the delivery plan, including providing advice through the Money Talk team, and directly boosting the incomes of households for up to 163,000 children through the Scottish Child Payment." #FMQs

NS: "I suppose the UK Government asking for people where knowledge of Scotland is desirable, you could say is a step in the right direction - because there's no evidence they've insisted on that at any point in the past!" #FMQs

NS: "But doesn't it say it all? Recruiting people in a so-called 'Union Unit' that, I understand they've said it's not essential to have knowledge of Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland." #FMQs

NS: "Complete disinterest in Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland might just sum up the Union pretty perfectly." #FMQs

NS: "But the most interesting thing about this Union Unit, as far as I can see... I mean, if it was the Scottish Government, of course, having an Independence Unit in this way, we'd have howls of protest from the Conservatives..." #FMQs

NS: "..but it's all this effort that's been put into fighting in a referendum campaign that they say is never, ever going to happen. It's a bit odd, that..." #FMQs

NS: "So I'm saying to people, let's get through Covid. I'm focused on Covid, right now, getting this country through Covid. Then, post-pandemic, let's have this debate properly.

And here's an idea. Let's allow the people of Scotland to decide their own future." #FMQs