Every word Nicola Sturgeon said when she announced lockdown lifting dates today
| Published date | 16 March 2021 |
| Date | 16 March 2021 |
And I will set out, albeit in more general terms, our expectations beyond that.
I must stress of course - because it is an inescapable fact - that being able to deliver on the plans I outline today is dependent on continued progress in suppressing the virus and rolling out vaccines.
However, I do hope that this statement will provide welcome reassurance that brighter days are ahead of us.
Before turning to the detail, I will provide some context on the state of the epidemic, starting with a summary of today's figures.
The total number of positive cases reported yesterday was 597.
This represents 3.8% of all tests carried out, and takes the total number of cases to 210,605.
440 people are now in hospital, which is 7 fewer than yesterday.
And 42 people are in intensive care, which is 2 more than yesterday.
And I regret to report that in the last 24 hours, a further 7 deaths have been registered.
The total number of deaths, under this measure, is now 7,517.
Once again, I send my condolences to all those who have lost a loved one.
One week today, when we mark the first anniversary of lockdown, the whole nation will be invited to share in a minute's silence, as we reflect on those we have lost and on the painful sacrifices that have been made by so many over the past year.
We are currently recording across Scotland an average of 570 new Covid cases a day.
There are two points about that which it is important to make.
The first is positive. Case numbers have fallen sharply since the early part of this year, as a result of the tough restrictions we are all living under.
In January, we were recording more than 1000 cases a day on average.
And just three weeks ago, the average number of cases per day was 815.
We have seen a significant reduction since then, which indicates the progress that has been made in suppressing the virus.
The second is less positive.
The 570 cases per day on average over the past week is up slightly from an average of 490 the week before.
This is not a massive increase, but it is clearly not the direction of travel we want to see.
So we will be monitoring it carefully - and taking it as a reminder that we have no room for complacency.
Care and caution in the face of this virus continues to be essential.
What is unambiguously positive so far is the progress of the vaccination programme.
We have now vaccinated virtually all over 65 year olds;
59% of 60 to 64 year olds;
41% of 55 to 59 year olds; and
34% of 50 to 54 year olds.
In total, as of 8.30 this morning, 1,943,507 people in Scotland have received their first dose of the vaccine.
That represents more than 40% of the adult population, and is an increase of 34,516 since yesterday.
We expect around 400,000 vaccinations to be administered this week, and we hope that level can be maintained through April, subject as always to vaccine supplies.
However, it is not just the scale of the vaccination programme that is positive. What we are learning about its impact is also hugely encouraging.
We can already see that it is having a significant impact on the number of deaths. According to National Records of Scotland, the number of Covid deaths in Scotland has more than halved in the last two weeks.
And there are now positive indications from research, including a study last week from Public Health Scotland, that the vaccines also reduce transmission of the virus.
This provides us with greater confidence than we had previously about the impact of vaccination on suppression of the virus.
And that in turn gives us more confidence about mapping a path out of lockdown, with a firmer indicative timeline for lifting restrictions.
We have of course announced and implemented some significant changes already.
Last week, the restrictions on outdoor gatherings and activities were...
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