SCOTLAND has recorded a further 41 deaths of coronavirus patients in the last 24 hours, bringing to 3899 the total death toll of people who first tested positive for the virus in the previous 28 days.
Speaking at the Scottish Government’s Covid-19 briefing, Deputy First Minister John Swinney said there were 966 positive cases recorded – 4.2% of all tests carried out – with 258 in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 166 in Lanarkshire and 117 in Lothian. The remainder was spread across the other mainland health board areas.
He said 965 people were currently in hospital with the virus, down 17, and 65 were in intensive care, down by four on the previous day.
So far, Swinney said a total of 98,686 people have tested positive in Scotland, up from 97,720 the day before.
The Deputy First Minister went on to tell the briefing that the Scottish Government expected the first deliveries of the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine “very soon”, which would allow vaccinations to begin on Tuesday, with the first jags going to those who would be vaccinating everybody else.
“We will then follow the independent advice that we have received from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation,” said Swinney.
“They have recommended prioritising those with the greatest clinical need, specifically frontline health workers, residents and workers in care homes for older people, and people over the age of 80.”
He said they aimed to have the first phase of the vaccination programme completed by spring.
“The very fact that vaccinations in Scotland are scheduled to start in four days’ time is fantastic news, and for all of us it brings real hope that an end to the pandemic is in sight.
“However the end is not here yet, and so for the moment the fact that vaccination is now a real prospect should encourage all of us to do everything we can to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe.”
Earlier this week, Nicola Sturgeon warned that Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire could be moved from their current level 2 to level 3 after cases rose “quite sharply”,…
— to www.thenational.scot
