Thread by @theSNP

First Minister @NicolaSturgeon: "Thanks for joining us.

Jason Leitch is with me, he'll help me with questions from the media later on."

First of all, let me give you an update, starting with today's figures."

NS: "The total number of positive cases reported yesterday was 950.

This represents 3.5% of all of the tests carried out - the total number of confirmed cases now stands at 251,911."

NS: "Currently, there are 128 people receiving hospital treatment – which is 12 fewer than yesterday.

And 12 people are receiving intensive care, that's no change from yesterday."

NS: "Sadly, 2 additional deaths have been reported, which means that the total number of deaths registered, under our daily definition, is now 7,690.

As always, my condolences are with everyone who has lost someone."

NS: "As of this morning, 3,591,638 people have received a first dose of the vaccine.

That is an increase of 19,912 since yesterday."

NS: “In addition to that, 19,737 people got a second dose yesterday. That brings the total number of second doses to 2,535,803.

The vaccination programme is going extremely well.
More than ¾ of all over 40 year olds have now received both doses of the vaccine.”

NS: "That figure includes some exceptional coverage rates among older age groups, who of course have been prioritized for vaccination. For example, more than 97% of everybody over the age of 60 has now received both doses of the vaccine."

NS: "As I indicated in Parliament earlier this week, all second dose appointments will now be scheduled for 8 weeks after someone’s first vaccination, rather than 12 weeks afterwards."

NS: "That's a really important step forward, since second doses are so important in providing protection against the virus and particularly the Delta variant."

NS: "As well as accelerating the provision of second doses, we are also making very good progress on first doses for younger age groups.

Already, more than 70% of 30 to 39 year olds, and also one-third of 18 to 29 year olds, have received their first dose of the vaccine."

NS: "And I can confirm today - again as indicated earlier in the week - that the scheduling of appointments for first doses for all 18 to 29 year olds is now complete."

NS: "So everyone in that age group - if they haven’t already - will have received notification of the end of next week.

If you are aged 18-29 and haven’t had an appointment sent to you by next Sunday, please go to the appointment checker page of the NHS Inform website."

NS: "You can also use the NHS Inform website if you need to rearrange their appointment.

And please do re-arrange if you can’t make the appointment sent to you."

NS: "We understand, particularly in younger age groups, people are working, so there may be some who can't make the first appointment sent to them."

NS: "Don't let that mean you don't get vaccinated. Go onto the website and make an alternative appointment."

NS: "Vaccines are the way back to normality. We are increasingly confident of that. Literally every single one of us who gets the jags is representing a step back towards normal life."

NS: "We have indicated all along that we expected to have offered first doses to all adults by the end of July."

NS: "All appointments should be with people by the end of next week, so you can see that the programme is going faster than we previously anticipated."

NS: "I'm also pleased to confirm that we now expect to have completed first doses for all adults by 18th July."

NS: "Again, faster progress than we thought might be possible just even a few weeks ago."

NS: "I want to again convey my thanks to everyone working hard to make that possible.

Of course, everyone is working just as hard to get second doses administered as quickly as possible."

NS: "Getting two doses gives substantially more protection than just one dose. So please come forward to get your second dose just as soon as you are called."

NS: "I'm personally looking forward to getting my own second dose on Monday morning next week."

NS: "It is this progress with vaccination that gives us real significant hope that – despite the big increase in cases we've been seeing recently, driven by the Delta variant – we will still be able to further ease restrictions over the summer."

NS: "As I've discussed before, vaccinations do now seem to be weakening the link between a rise in new cases, and a rise in hospitalisations and people dying from the virus."

NS: "Public Health Scotland published some information this week showing that, in February, about 13% of all positive cases ended up in hospital. By the time we got to the end of May, that was down to 5%."

NS: "So we can see the effect and the impact that vaccines are having.

The link has weakened - it hasn't yet completely broken, because there's still a sizeable proportion of the population not yet fully vaccinated."

NS: "That's why, as I indicated in Parliament on Tuesday, we are taking, at the moment, a bit of a pause in our routemap."

NS: "It's unlikely that we will move any part of the country down a level at the next review point.

It's really important, in this race we're in between the virus and the vaccine, that we do the vaccination as quickly as possible but we don't allow the virus to get ahead of it."

NS: "At points that must mean taking action to slow the virus down as much as we can."

NS: "I'll give a further update to Parliament on Tuesday. At that time we'll also publish a revised strategic framework, which will set out our aims for moving beyond level 0 as soon as we can and returning towards normality as soon as possible."

NS: "There's three points I want to highlight today before I finish."

NS: "Firstly, we are introducing legislation to parliament today to extend by six months some of the measures we had to introduce because of the pandemic – those measures include changes to how the courts operate, and additional safeguards to protect tenants from eviction."

NS: "We are also allowing some emergency regulations to expire – for example some temporary measures on marriages and civil partnerships are no longer needed, now that registration offices are open once again."

NS: "The legislation therefore recognises that although we are returning to normality – which is why some measures are no longer needed – we are not quite there yet."

NS: "The second point I want to highlight is travel. We are continuing to keep travel restrictions under review – and I can confirm some changes that will come into effect over the weekend."

NS: "From today onwards, the current restrictions on travel between Scotland and Bedford will be lifted. So non-essential travel to and from Bedford is permitted again."

NS: "We have also now lifted our restrictions on travel between Scotland and the Republic of Ireland. Again, that means that non-essential travel to the Republic of Ireland is permitted."

NS: "Anyone wanting to travel there, however, should note that under Ireland’s current rules, you will be required to self-isolate when you arrive in Ireland."

NS: "I regret however that we are also introducing restrictions on travel between Scotland and two English cities."

NS: "Manchester and Salford currently have very high levels of Covid, and so from Monday onwards, non-essential travel is between Scotland and those cities is not permitted."

NS: "Non-essential travel is already prohibited between Scotland and Bolton, and Blackburn with Darwen."

NS: "Anyone travelling elsewhere in the Greater Manchester or Lancashire area should think carefully about whether your journey is really necessary, since cases are rising across the region."

NS: "I realise that for those with family or friends in Manchester or Salford – or for anyone who was simply planning a visit – these new measures will be disappointing."

NS: "But rates of Covid in those cities are particularly high at the moment. These restrictions are intended to minimise the risk of exacerbating the situation either there or here in Scotland."

NS: "The third thing I want to highlight is about the main talking point for most people over the course of the day, I would imagine, which is the football later this evening."

NS: "The Scotland-England game at Wembley tonight will be a great occasion. Let me just take this opportunity to wish Steve Clarke, Andy Robertson, and the whole of the Scotland team the very best of luck for that match tonight. The whole of the country will be cheering you on."

NS: "It's only natural that many of us want to watch this game with friends.

That sense of it being a shared experience, is one of the things that makes watching our national team so special."

NS: "But please - I don't relish saying this but I have a duty to keep saying this - please, if you are watching the match tonight, continue to take care."

NS: "In particular, if you're gathering in your own house or somebody else's house, please stick to the limits for indoor gatherings. That is 6 people from 3 households. The point of these limits is to try to restrict spread of the virus."

NS: "Indoors, we know, is much higher risk than outdoors. Please, remember to take the basic precautions. Keep the windows open, wash your hands regularly, and please be especially careful around people who aren't yet fully vaccinated or might be more vulnerable."

NS: "I know these precautions are tiresome for everybody in every context. They're particularly tiresome when people are trying to enjoy the normal pleasures of a football match."

NS: "But this virus doesn't care about football. It's not a Scotland fan or an England fan. It only cares about spreading from one person to another.

So all of us have to work hard to try to deny it, as far as we can, the opportunities to spread."

NS: "That basic message, that we all still need to take care, continues to be really important.

This is a race between vaccines, that are getting us out of this, and the virus."

NS: "Unfortunately, this is a virus that keeps learning to run faster, so we have an obligation and a need to continue to slow it down while that vaccination programme continues to power ahead."

NS: "I'll end just briefly by stressing the three key things that, if we all do, we're going to really help achieve that."

NS: "The first is vaccination. I cannot stress enough how important it is to get vaccinated when you have the chance. Not just the first dose but the second dose as well."

NS: "Every single one of us that rolls up our sleeves, gets these jags, is personally playing a part in getting us back to normal."

NS: "The vaccines are working well, we know that, our big vulnerability will always be if we have large numbers of people who are not vaccinated."

NS: "We're getting through the populaton as quickly as possible but, what all of us as individual citizens need to do is make sure we come forward for our appointment."

NS: "We owe that to ourselves, but we owe it to each other too. So let's all do our civic duty and get vaccinated as quickly as possible."

NS: "Secondly, test yourself regularly. You can get lateral flow tests through NHS Inform, you can get them through local community pharmacies now, or some of the pop-in testing centres, the local testing centres that are available."

NS: "But if we all test ourselves regularly, we can pick up more cases and do more to break those chains of transmission."

NS: "Finally, please stick to the rules wherever you live, and keep following the basic hygiene measures. Stay outdoors as much as possible, particularly when the weather is as nice as it has been for Scotland in the last couple of weeks."

NS: "But if you're meeting indoors, take extra care - stick to the limits, and follow all of the advice around hygiene and ventilation."

NS: "Just remember, physical distancing, handwashing, face coverings, all of these things are as important now as ever, and more important as we are doing more and more normal things."

NS: "So let's keep doing all of these things and, notwithstanding the case numbers we're seeing right now, we do have every reason, because of the vaccination, to feel much more optimistic and positive about the weeks and months that lie ahead."

NS: "Thank you for bearing with me through that, and listening. We'll move straight to questions now and Jason will help me with the answers to these."