Thread by @theSNP

📺 Watch @NicolaSturgeon's live statement to the Scottish Parliament on the latest COVID updates.

⏰ Tune in now via scottishparliament.tv or on the BBC Scotland channel.

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "I will give a further update on the latest Covid situation.

I will provide an assessment of the current course of the pandemic - and confirm that there will be no immediate changes this week to the remaining, albeit fairly limited, Covid regulations which remain in force."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "I will then give a reminder of the new arrangements for international travel which took effect yesterday."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "And, finally, I will provide an update on the implementation of the Covid certification scheme so far - including the good progress made in resolving the initial difficulties that many people experienced in accessing the Covid Status app at the end of last week."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Firstly, though, I will report on today’s statistics.

2,056 positive cases were reported yesterday – 10.3% of all tests carried out.

998 people are in hospital with Covid – 3 fewer than yesterday."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "And 65 people are in intensive care, 2 fewer than yesterday.

Sadly, a further 21 deaths have been reported in the past 24 hours, which takes the total number of deaths registered under the daily definition, to 8,687."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "More positively, the vaccination programme continues to make good progress.

4,223,719 people have received a first dose and 3,849,656 have now had both doses."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "In total, 92% of the over 18 population is now fully vaccinated with two doses.

This includes 96% of the over 40s, 75% of 30 to 39 year olds, and 64% of 18 to 29 year olds."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "In addition, 72% of 16 and 17 year olds, and 26% of 12 to 15 year olds, have had a first dose.

For most people in these age groups, of course, only a single dose is currently recommended."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Most 12 to 15 year olds only became eligible for the vaccine two weeks ago, and appointment letters were sent out to them last week."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "More than a quarter in that age group have already received the vaccine.

I would again encourage all 12-15 year olds, and their parents and carers, to read the online information about vaccination so they can take an informed decision about getting the jag."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "There is also the option of asking further questions when attending an appointment and I would urge anyone with concerns to do so. I am confident that our experienced vaccinators will be able to answer any questions."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "As I indicated last week, the programme of booster vaccinations is also underway.

Those over 70 – and those on the highest risk list – are now receiving booster jags."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "People on the highest risk list who are immunosuppressed or immunocompromised are being invited separately for a third dose."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "This weekly update coincides with the latest three-week review point for the remaining Covid regulations.

And so I can confirm that at our Cabinet meeting earlier today, we agreed to continue in force, with no immediate change, the current regulations."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "That decision reflects, firstly, that the number of cases is continuing to fall and so our judgment is that there is no need to introduce any tighter restrictions..."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "...but, secondly, that the level of infection, though falling, remains relatively high and so we consider that it is prudent at this stage, as we approach winter, to keep in place the remaining mitigations, face coverings for example, for a further period."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "I will give a bit more detail now of the trends we are seeing in cases and in the associated impacts.

In the last 7 days, the number of cases has reduced by more than 1/5."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Cases are now more than 60% lower than they were at the peak of this latest wave of infection back in early September.

Although there are daily fluctuations, the trend in test positivity is also downwards – from a peak of more than 13% in late August to just over 8% now."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Significantly and positively, the fall in cases continues to be apparent across all age groups.

The most significant decline this week, once again, has been amongst 15 to 24 year olds."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Cases in that age group have fallen by almost 40% in the last 7 days – and by more than 80% in the last 5 weeks."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "It is also worth highlighting that in the 0 to 14 year old age group – which currently accounts for almost 30% of all new cases - there has been a reduction of more than 1/5 in the last week, and of more than 1/2 in the last three weeks."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "That is important because although children are much less likely to fall seriously ill from Covid than older people, they can fall ill, and of course they can and do pass on the infection to others."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "This reduction is positive - though we should guard against complacency."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "The Advisory Subgroup on Education and Children’s Issues is meeting this afternoon, and will be considering the mitigations which are currently in place in schools – including the requirement to wear face coverings in class."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "It may well be that they recommend keeping the current mitigations in place for longer given the risks of the winter period."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "However, should they advise that any easing is possible following the October half-term, the Scottish Government will consider this carefully and advise schools of any changes as soon as possible."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "I speculated last week that the recent fall in cases is likely driven by two factors and that remains our view.

The first factor is an increasing level of immunity as a result of high vaccination rates and, to a lesser extent, infection with the virus itself."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "This underlines, again, the critical importance of all of us getting vaccinated if we are eligible.

That includes getting a booster jag when invited."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "The second factor is our individual and collective behaviour – and I am grateful once again to everyone who has taken extra care in recent weeks in an attempt to stop and then reverse the spike in cases."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "That includes the many businesses and other organisations who are continuing to implement and promote the basic mitigation measures that remain in place, such as face coverings, hand hygiene, good ventilation and, where possible, continued home working."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "The significant and sustained fall in cases over recent weeks is now - I am very relieved to report - feeding through into a fall in hospital admissions.

In the second week of September, an average of 150 people a day were being admitted to hospital with Covid."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "That has now fallen by more than a third – at this point, fewer than 100 people a day are being admitted to hospital with Covid."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "As a result of this fall in admissions, we are also now seeing a decline in hospital occupancy - which is the overall number of Covid patients in hospital at any given time."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Two weeks ago, there were 1,107 patients in hospital with Covid.

Last week it was 1,026 - and today it is 998.

In that time, the number of people in intensive care has also fallen - from 94 to 65."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Given that cases are continuing to fall, we hope and expect that the number of people in hospital will decline further.

We also expect that the number of people dying from Covid will reduce."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "All of this is positive - and a source of great relief to all of us.

That said, the number of people in hospital with Covid now is still higher than it was in late August.

And the pressure on our NHS remains intense."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "NHS staff continue to deal with the combined challenge of caring for significant numbers of Covid patients, preparing for wider winter pressures, and dealing with the backlog of care built up during the pandemic."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Also, as we head further into autumn and then winter, we know that people meeting indoors more often or travelling by public transport rather than walking, for example, will create the conditions for the virus to circulate."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "There is a risk that this will lead to a further rise in cases. And that would, of course, put further pressure on the NHS."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "So for all the improvement we have seen - and collectively helped achieve - at least until we are well through the winter, we must remember that the overall position remains fragile and potentially very challenging."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "That is why we continue to stress the importance of taking basic precautions - such as good ventilation, wearing face coverings, and keeping a safe distance from others if possible."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "In short, it is vital that we all continue to be mindful of the virus and its likely presence around us as we go about our everyday lives - and in light of that, continue to behave in sensible ways that will reduce its ability to spread from person to person."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "If we all do this, we stand a much better chance of keeping the number of cases - and the associated pressure on the NHS - under control even as winter conditions kick in."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "There are two further issues I want to cover today.

Firstly, international travel. Proportionate travel restrictions will of course continue to be an important baseline measure to protect against Covid."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "They help reduce the risk of people coming into Scotland when they have Covid, and also help us identify quickly any new variants of the virus."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "However, just as we have worked hard to get domestic life back to normal as much as possible, so too do we want - in a careful way - to bring greater normality back to international travel."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Yesterday the arrangements for international travel changed in Scotland and across the UK.

What were the green and amber lists have now been merged. This means that there are now only two categories of country – those on the “red list”, and all others."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Passengers travelling from countries not on the red list and who can show they have been fully vaccinated – or who are under the age of 18 - no longer need to provide proof of a negative test result before they travel to Scotland."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "In addition, 18 countries – including Canada, Australia and New Zealand - have now been added to the list of countries whose vaccination programmes are recognised for purposes of travel to the UK."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "It is important to note that – despite the change of position on pre-departure testing - there is still a requirement at this stage for passengers to take a Covid test on the second day after their arrival here."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "This test must meet very high sensitivity standards, which means that in practice it is likely to be a PCR test.

We are working with the UK Government on possible future changes to the position on post arrival testing."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "But for now it remains the case that someone arriving in Scotland from outside the UK must take a PCR test – or equivalent – on day 2 after their arrival here."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "We'll continue to work with the UK Government, devolved governments, and the travel sector to ensure that the position on international travel is proportionate; that it's helping us guard against new variants; and that, as far as possible, it's consistent across 4 nations."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "The final point I want to cover today is the Covid certification scheme.

The scheme came into force, as planned, at 5am on Friday - although, as I set out last week, the enforcement provisions will not come into effect until 18 October."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "I am grateful to all businesses, organisations and individuals who are working to implement the scheme.

The app which we can opt to use to show evidence of our vaccination status became available for download last Thursday afternoon."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "I'm well aware that many people found it extremely difficult to use the app initially.

In particular, many found that the app was unable to locate their vaccination record from the information that they provided. This problem was especially acute over Thursday and Friday."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "I know this caused extreme frustration for users who wanted to download the app as quickly as possible, and also for businesses and events organisers who were planning to test their certification arrangements over the weekend.

I apologise for that."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "The problem was not with the app itself but with the NHS systems that it links to."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Essentially the high level of demand after the launch of the app – combined with an error in one part of the NHS system – meant that information wasn’t being sent quickly enough from the NHS system to the app."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "This also, for a period, caused problems for those requesting paper copies of vaccination certificates, or seeking to download a PDF.

However, improvements to remedy the problem were made to the NHS system on Friday evening."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Indeed, I can report that the initial backlog of people waiting for their information to be matched had been cleared by Saturday lunchtime.

We will of course continue to monitor the performance of the app."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "We will also continue to engage with businesses and sectors subject to the requirement for Covid certification."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "In relation to football fixtures over the past weekend, while they agreed that no fan would be turned away, both Hearts and Rangers tested their certification arrangements and managed to check around 20% of their crowds."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Scottish Government officials met yesterday with those clubs, together with Aberdeen, Celtic, Hibs and the managers of Hampden, to consider and learn any lessons from the weekend experiences."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "We are also continuing to engage with the other sectors required to implement certification."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Covid certification remains, in the Scottish Government’s view, a proportionate way of encouraging people to get vaccinated, and also of helping large events and night-time hospitality to keep operating during a potentially difficult winter."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "The scheme is now operational, and the provisions are in place which require businesses to keep data safe and to use it only for certification.

People are now able to access and use the proof they require."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "In addition to getting the app – as many people have now been able to do - it is also possible to download a PDF or order a paper copy of a vaccination record from the NHS Inform website."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "These will continue to be options for anyone who is not willing or able to use the app.

As indicated last week, the first two weeks of the scheme will effectively be a grace period in relation to enforcement, while businesses and users become accustomed to the new rules."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "However during this period we expect businesses to implement and test their approach to certification - and to prepare their compliance plan -  so that they are fully prepared by 18 October."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "At that point, the regulations will become enforceable by local authority officers.

Those officers will use what we call the 4 E’s approach.

They will Engage, Explain, Encourage and only then - if those options are exhausted - will they Enforce."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "The Scottish Government, also, will continue to engage in the days and weeks ahead with businesses who are subject to the certification scheme and I remain grateful to them for everything they are doing to help ensure that it works effectively."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "The final point I want to make is addressed to individuals, rather than businesses.

There will be many of us who - at some point in the coming months - will want to attend a concert, or go to a big football or rugby match, or visit a nightclub or other late night venue."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "So I would encourage everyone to get a copy of their vaccination record as soon as possible - either through the app, or by getting the PDF or a paper copy from the NHS Inform website.

I know the early experience of the app was not good, but it works well now."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Presiding Officer, overall, the position we are in now is much better than we had feared at this time last month.

Cases have more than halved in the last 4 weeks.

And the number of people in hospital and ICU is also now starting to decline."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "The efforts that have been made by so many over the last month - to step up compliance with mitigations, and to drive up vaccination rates - do seem to be working."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "However as we head into autumn and then winter, we have no room for complacency.

Cases are still high. Hundreds of people each week are still being admitted to hospital with Covid.

Our NHS is still under pressure."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "And so we must maintain the progress of the last few weeks.

All of us have a part to play in doing that."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "And so I will close, as usual, with a reminder of the three things we can all do to help protect each other.

First, please do get vaccinated if you are eligible and haven’t yet done so.

This remains the single most important thing any of us can do."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Second, please test regularly with lateral flow devices. These can be ordered through NHS Inform, or collected from a local test site or pharmacy.

If you test positive, or are identified as a close contact, or have Covid symptoms, please self-isolate and book a PCR test."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "And third, please comply with the mitigations still in place.

Wear face coverings in indoor public places, such as shops, public transport and when moving about in hospitality settings."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Wash hands and surfaces thoroughly.

Meet outdoors if you can – although I know that this is getting increasingly difficult."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "When you do meet indoors, open windows. And keep a safe distance from people in other households.

All of these precautions really matter.

They will protect you, they will protect other people, and they will protect our NHS."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "So please stick with it – and let’s drive cases down even further."