 That concludes topical questions. The next item of business is a statement by Nicholas Sturgeon on Covid-19 update. The First Minister will take questions at the end of her statement, and so there should be no interventions or interruptions. I call on Nicholas Sturgeon, First Minister. Thanks, Presiding Officer. As well as giving an update on the general Covid situation today, I'll also share the latest information that we have on the recently detected Omicron variant. I will outline the steps that we are taking to slow the spread of it and also to curb transmission of the virus more generally. First, today's statistics, 2,569 positive cases were reported yesterday, 11.5 per cent of all tests. 706 people are currently in hospital with Covid-19 fewer than yesterday and 54 people are in intensive care, which is two more than yesterday. Sadly, a further 10 deaths have been reported over the past 24 hours. That takes the total number of deaths under the daily definition to 9,572. Once again, I want to convey my condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one. More positively, the progress and the pace of the vaccination programme continues to be very good. 4,346,736 people have had a first dose, 3,949,736 have now had two doses and, in total, 88 per cent of all those over the age of 18 are double dose vaccinated. In addition, 77 per cent of 16 and 17-year-olds and 59 per cent of 12 to 15-year-olds have had a first dose and, from today, 16 and 17-year-olds can book their second dose of the vaccine online, and I would encourage them to do so. On 1, 2, 3 and booster doses, we remain the most vaccinated part of the UK, and that matters because, as we know, vaccines do save lives. According to a study published last week by the World Health Organization, there may be more than 27,000 people in Scotland who are alive today only because of vaccines, so I want to again record my thanks to everyone involved in organising and delivering the programme. In my statement last week, I expressed the view that our overall situation was much stronger than I had dared hope. Case numbers, although still too high, had stabilised and, indeed, they had started to decline. Since then, the data has become, if anything, even more encouraging. However, while case numbers here have continued to fall, the world has, of course, received the deeply worrying news of the new Omicron variant. I will say more shortly about our current understanding of the new variant, but, before that, I will give just a bit more detail on the current overall trends in infection levels. In the past week, the average number of new cases being recorded each day has fallen from just under 3,000 to just over 2,500, which is a reduction of 15 per cent. As in the past few weeks, the biggest decline has been in older age groups. Cases in the over-60 age group have fallen by 27 per cent, and, of course, that is very likely to reflect the on-going success of the booster programme. Encouragingly, cases in the under-60 age cohorts, which account for the significant majority of cases in Scotland just now, have also fallen in the past week by 13 per cent. In fact, over the past week, cases have fallen in all age groups. The number of people in hospital has also fallen from 743 to 706, as has the number in intensive care from 60 to 54. All of that is really positive news. It indicates that vaccination, together with continued compliance with the protections that are still in place, is applying a firm downward pressure on transmission and therefore helping to reduce the overall health harms that the virus causes. All of that said, the NHS is still under significant and very severe pressure. Case numbers, though they are now falling, remain very high and higher than we would want them to be, going into the winter period. Of course, we know that a combination of factors pose a real risk that transmission will increase again through December and into the new year, as colder weather forces us indoors more and festive socialising gets under way. That risk remains very real and, if it materialises, would put significant additional pressure on the NHS. Of course, the risk has now been significantly increased, at least potentially, by the emergence of Omicron. Let me turn to what we currently know about the new variant. Perhaps the most important point to make at this stage is that most of the key questions about the impact and implications of it have not yet been answered. However, the number of mutations that it has and the nature of those, together with some of the very early indications from southern Africa, have raised the concern that it might be more transmissible than the delta variant, which is the currently dominant variant in Scotland and many other parts of the world. Further data and analysis is needed to confirm that and assess what impact, if any, the new variant might have on the effectiveness of vaccines and on the risk of reinfection. It is worth stressing that there is no evidence at this stage to suggest that the disease caused by Omicron is more severe than that caused by other variants. However, further analysis is required before we can be certain of that. Thanks to the work of the global scientific community, we will find out much more about Omicron in the days and weeks ahead. As our knowledge and understanding expands, we will be able to assess with much more certainty the implications for our response to the pandemic. I very much hope that, as we do learn more, our level of concern will diminish rather than increase. However, while hoping very much for the best, it is prudent at this stage to contemplate and prepare for something that is less positive than that. The fact is that any variant that might be more transmissible than delta variant, which, in turn, was more transmissible than any variant that came before it, and could, even if, to a limited extent, evade vaccine or natural immunity, must be taken very seriously. That is why we have, and we will continue to respond in a way that is proportionate but also highly precautionary. Let me turn now to our current understanding of the presence of the Omicron variant here in Scotland. I can confirm that, as of 5 p.m. yesterday, there are nine confirmed cases in Scotland. Five of those are in Lanarkshire, and four are in Greater Glasgow and Clyde. We have preliminary information on all nine of those cases, which is the basis of the information that I am about to share with Parliament. However, I want to stress that health protection teams are continuing their investigations. Firstly, let me say that none of the people who have tested positive for this new variant have so far required hospital care. All nine were tested on or around 23 November, and, because they had tested positive, they have all been self-isolating. A surveillance look-back exercise had identified that the PCR test results in those cases showed what is called the S-gene drop-out. That is not conclusive evidence of the Omicron variant, but it is indicative of it. However, whole genome sequencing of those positive samples has now confirmed that they are indeed the Omicron variant. None of those individuals, as far as we know, has any recent travel history to or known links with others who have travelled to the countries in southern Africa, where the variant was originally detected. However, while the contact tracing exercise is still on-going, health protection teams have established that all nine cases are linked. They all trace back to a single private event on 20 November. Indeed, we fully expect that there will be more cases identified over the coming days that are also linked to this event. In summary, the lack of any known travel or overseas connection to those cases suggests that there is some community transmission of Omicron already happening in Scotland. However, the fact that all known cases are so far linked to this single event suggests that community transmission may still be limited. Indeed, there is so far nothing in the wider look-back exercise that Public Health Scotland has undertaken to suggest that community transmission of the new variant is either sustained or widespread. This look-back exercise has examined PCR test samples dating back to 1 November to identify any with the S gene drop-out. A number has been identified and where the sample makes that possible, subjected to whole genome sequencing, and so far this exercise has resulted in the nine cases that we have reported. Given the nature and scale of COP26, the surveillance work that Public Health Scotland is doing is also looking at any potential links to it. At this stage, however, there is no evidence whatsoever of any such link, and while it is not impossible that one will emerge, I think that the timelines involved make it improbable. In short, Public Health Scotland is working hard to identify any and all cases of Omicron in Scotland as quickly as possible, and I am very grateful to them for those efforts. However, given the nature of transmission, I consider it highly likely—indeed, almost certain—that perhaps many more cases will emerge. However, the enhanced surveillance does give us the best possible chance of identifying cases quickly and through isolation of index cases and close contacts and targeted testing of then-breaking transmission chains and containing spread while we learn more about the variant. That is key, because while so much about the new variant is so far unknown, it is important that we act on a highly precautionary basis. That is certainly true in terms of the steps that government must take, but it is equally true for all of us as citizens. We all have a part to play, and this has been true throughout the pandemic, in stemming transmission of the virus in general. Let us not forget that, while we are talking about nine cases of a new variant right now, 2,500 cases of delta are still being recorded each day, so suppressing transmission of it remains important, but it is also now, of course, important to suppress and contain transmission of the new variant in particular. Some of the protections that the United Kingdom Government announced at the weekend in relation to England—for example, the requirement to wear face coverings in some settings—are already in place and, in fact, more extensive here in Scotland. At this stage, rather than introducing new protections, we are asking people to significantly step up and increase compliance with existing protections such as face coverings, hygiene, homeworking, ventilation, vaccination and regular testing. That enhanced compliance domestically will complement the UK-wide travel restrictions confirmed over the weekend, which aim to reduce the risk of additional cases of the new variant entering the country. Ten countries from southern Africa have been added to the travel red list so far. Anyone travelling back to Scotland from any of those ten countries must enter managed quarantine for 10 days on their arrival. In addition, anyone arriving in Scotland from anywhere outside the common travel area is now required to take a PCR Covid test on or before the second day of their arrival, although we are advising that that should be on the second day and to self-isolate until they get the result of that test back. The Scottish Government's judgment is that it would be sensible given the incubation period of the virus and on a precautionary basis for those travel rules to be tightened further on a four nations basis. Yesterday, the First Minister of Wales and I suggested to the Prime Minister that until we know more about Omicron, people arriving in the UK from overseas should be asked to self-isolate for eight days and take a PCR test on day eight after their arrival, as well as on day two. We look forward to discussing that more in future. We also suggested to the Prime Minister that the convening of a Cobra meeting to discuss that and other issues in early course would be appropriate. While certainty is not possible at this stage and will not be possible until we know much more about this new variant, my strong hope is that beyond temporary travel measures, no additional restrictions will be required. However, that will, of course, depend partly on what information emerges about Omicron in the days to come, but also and significantly on all of us complying rigorously with all the protections currently in place to STEM transmission. Of course, it remains the case that our first and most important line of defence against the virus is vaccination. We received updated advice yesterday from the JCVI. Its updated recommendations are as follows. All adults over the age of 18 should be eligible for a booster. The gap between second doses and boosters should now be reduced from six months to three months. People who are immunosuppressed and who have already had three doses should also now be eligible for a booster. Those who are immunosuppressed and have not yet had a third jag should get that now, regardless of when their second dose was administered. Finally, 12 to 15-year-olds should now be offered a second dose. The JCVI had already recommended second doses for 16 and 17-year-olds, and, as I said earlier, from today anyone in that age group can book an appointment for their second dose online. The Scottish Government has accepted the JCVI's updated recommendations, and we will now put its advice into operation as soon as possible. Urgent modelling work is being done to inform that operational response, for example assessing the additional capacity that will be needed in terms of workforce and facilities. As the JCVI has advised, we will continue to prioritise booster jags on an age and clinical risk basis. However, the bottom line is that many more people than was the case last week, at least 1 million more people are now eligible for a booster, and that is good news in our fight against the virus. Information will be provided as soon as possible for those who have become newly eligible. However, to those who are already eligible, if you have not had your booster yet, please book to get it as soon as possible. Uptake in the over-60s is now 84 per cent. That is high, but we want to get it higher still, so if you have yet to get the booster, please do so now. Similarly, if you are aged between 40 and 59, please book online at NHS Inform. I know that there is a concern that the vaccines will be less effective against this new variant, and I want to stress that we do not yet know if that is the case. However, even if it is, vaccination will still matter. Less effective does not mean any effective, and of course the vaccines will remain just as effective as they are now against the delta variant, which is still the dominant one circulating in Scotland. So a booster will significantly improve our protection against all variants. It really is the most important thing any of us can do to protect ourselves and loved ones. Similarly, if you still have not had your first or your second dose, please arrange to do that too. It is now more important than ever to get an appointment and to get the protection vaccination will offer you. In addition to getting vaccinated, and as I said earlier, all of us should now step up and significantly increase our compliance with existing protections like face coverings, ventilation and hand hygiene. We are also strongly encouraging everyone who can work from home to do so, and we are asking everyone from now through the fester season to do LFD tests on any and all occasions before mixing with people from other households, whether that is in a pub, a restaurant, a house or a shopping centre. Of course, from Monday, subject to Parliament's approval this week, proof of a recent negative lateral flow test or vaccination will be accepted by venues and events covered by the Covid certification scheme. It is already very easy and it is free to get lateral flow tests that can be ordered online or collected from pharmacies and test centres. If you are a secondary school pupil or a member of staff at a school or early learning centre, test kits are also available free of charge from schools and early years centres. However, I can confirm today that, in the run-up to the festive period, lateral flow tests will also be made available by local authorities in many more locations. Those locations will vary in different parts of the country, but they will include shopping centres and supermarkets, garden centres, sports grounds and Christmas markets. We are also working with transport partners to provide access to tests in transport hubs. While it is already easy to get lateral flow tests, we are taking steps to make it easier still. Please make sure that you get a supply, keep it topped up and use that supply. It is also worth mentioning that the newer devices are much easier to use than the older ones. They require nasal swabs only rather than nasal and throat swabs. If you have previously tried lateral flow tests and given up because you found them too difficult or uncomfortable to use, please do try again now. Remember also to report the result of tests online. If a test shows up positive, isolate at home until you have had and got the result of a confirmatory PCR test. If we all do this over the next few weeks, it will make a really big difference because we will all massively reduce the risk of infecting others, particularly if we have the virus but would not otherwise know about it because we do not have symptoms. So please test yourself before mixing with others and on every occasion that you intend mixing with others. To draw my remarks a close, there is no doubt that the emergence of this new variant is a blow, certainly a potential blow. It is potentially the most concerning development in the pandemic in recent months, but even if our developing knowledge about the variant confirms some of our worries—and let's hope that it doesn't—we are still in a much better position than we were this time last year, thanks to vaccines. We know what we need to do to stem transmission because we have done it before and we know that it works, so it is down to all of us to make sure that we do it. If in recent weeks we have been sticking a bit less strictly to public health advice, now is the time to follow it rigorously again. Get vaccinated, the single most important thing that we can do. Secondly, test regularly on any occasion before socialising or mixing with other households. Finally, comply with all existing protections. Please wear face coverings on public transport in shops when moving about in hospitality settings. Keep windows open to improve ventilation. Follow all advice on hygiene, wash hands and surfaces, and work from home if you can. The discovery of this new variant really does make these measures even more important than ever before. If we treat the news of the new variant as an opportunity to raise our guard again, I hope that we can protect the progress that has been made in recent weeks. We can give ourselves the best possible chance of enjoying not just a more normal Christmas, which we all want, but a safer Christmas too and also of avoiding any tighter restrictions in the weeks ahead. Please get vaccinated, get tested and comply with all of the protections in place. If we all do this, we will play our part in slowing the spread of the virus generally and this new variant in particular. The First Minister will now take questions on the issues raised in her statement. I intend to allow around 40 minutes for this item, after which we will move on to the next item of business, and it would be helpful if members who wish to ask a question were to press their request-to-speak button now. I call Douglas Ross. Last week, the First Minister came to this chamber and was upbeat in her assessment of the Covid outlook, saying that the situation was more positive than we might have expected it to be. At the same time, last week my party was calling for the easing of some restrictions, but as we have seen time and time again with this virus, a lot can change in just a week. The situation has shifted and so must our approach adapt as well. The UK Government and the Scottish Government's response to the emergence of this new variant has been swift in recent days. Nobody wants to see restrictions return. We are all completely fed up with this virus and the limits that it has placed on our lives for nearly two years now, but we have to be realistic and sensible and evaluate the situation fully as we learn more about this new variant. However, while we wait for more information, we are not defenceless against this virus. The vaccination scheme has always been our best weapon against Covid-19. As the First Minister's statement noted today, experts estimate that more than 27,000 lives in Scotland have been saved as a result of our vaccine. The booster programme across the UK is going well, but there is no doubt that there could be even more urgency in delivering it. For weeks now, we have been calling for the reopening of mass vaccination centres to speed up that roll-out. Those centres were incredibly effective in the roll-out of the initial doses of the Covid vaccine, yet this morning, her health secretary dismissed our proposal. Hamza Yousaf suggested that the hold-up in reopening those centres was due to a shortage of staff. Can the First Minister confirm if that is the case and what is being done to resolve those issues? After the JCVI's decision, there are now almost 2 million people in Scotland waiting to get their vaccine. Considering just how crucial it is for as many people as possible to get that booster jag, can the First Minister tell us what additional measures she is taking now to accelerate the vital booster programme? I remain more positive than I was a few weeks ago about the situation, and that is notwithstanding the emergence of the new variant. As I have set out today, the overall trend of infections in Scotland is downwards. A few weeks ago, I would not have dared hope that that would be the case. We know that there are risks in the weeks ahead. I said that last week in terms of socialising around the festive period, colder weather—pushing is all indoors more—there is an additional risk now, potentially, in the form of the new variant. However, we are in a stronger position to confront all that than would have been the case this time last year or even a few weeks ago. Vaccination is the best line of defence, which is why there is no lack of urgency on the part of the Scottish Government, nor do we rule out any options. We discuss on an on-going basis the appropriate ways in which we can accelerate the progress of the vaccination programme. We have had questions—and I would always expect questions—about the deployment route that we chose for 12 to 15-year-olds. Again, the deployment routes that we have chosen for the first stages of the booster campaign have taken us to where we are today, which is the most vaccinated part of the United Kingdom. On booster vaccines so far, we are quite away ahead of any other nation in the UK. Of course, we want to go further. That was true before the JCVI updated its advice yesterday on those who were eligible then. It is even more true now when we have so many more people eligible. We are currently considering all possible options to do that. We are not alone there. I know that the UK Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Irish Government are having to do the same. On staff, there is not a shortage of staff. We have staff in place to do the roll-out that we had planned on the basis of the old advice. However, given that there are, as of today, more than a million people eligible that were not eligible this time yesterday, we clearly have to find more staff and more facilities to speed that up. That is the work that is under way right now. We will focus ourselves and get our shoulders to the wheel, work with health boards whose shoulders are also to the wheel to get that to happen as quickly as possible. All four of the nations across the UK are going to be doing that. The good news is that we have adequate supplies of vaccines. Although developments in the past few days remind all of us that we need to get vaccines distributed more equitably across the whole world, because until the whole world is vaccinated here, we have been reminded right now that none of us are out of danger. The vaccination programme is the most important thing that the Government is doing right now, and we will continue to push it forward as fast as we possibly can. I want to start by sending my condolences to those who have lost a loved one. Yesterday, we had confirmation that patients in Scotland had tested positive for the Omicron variant. Perhaps most troubling was the news that none of the cases identified had a travel history, meaning that they caught the variant in the community. That is obviously causing anxiety and concern. The tools to protect us from the virus remain the same—vaccine, testing and contact tracing. The JCVI has now recommended that the booster jag should be made available to all aged over 18 and the gap between the doses reduced to three months. Before this change, there were over 800,000 people eligible for a booster. This change means that there are now over 2 million people eligible for their booster dose. The Government previously set a target of 400,000 Covid vaccinations a week. Does that remain the target? The last week was just under 240,000. I note what the First Minister says about supply chains and storage. Given that we are expected to ramp up the number of vaccinations, are we confident of those supply chains in the coming weeks and months? Currently, just two health boards, Tayside and the Western Isles, are running drop-ins for boosters. Will that be extended to all health boards to demonstrate the urgency, especially given that there are much more higher numbers of people who are now expected to get their booster vaccination? We cannot rely simply on a phone line or a booking system to meet that demand. Finally, that will also add additional pressure on test and protect. What additional resources will be made available to ensure that cases, particularly of the new variant, can be properly tracked and so transmission can be reduced? As far as we know, none of the cases identified so far have a travel history or a connection to anybody who has recently travelled to the African countries where the variant was first identified was a cause of concern, because that is indicative of community transmission. That is still the case, but I think that today the work that health protection teams through test and protect have done to identify that all of those cases are linked to one event actually slightly reduces that anxiety because it gives us more assurance that that community transmission is not widespread and we are not picking up any more widespread evidence of it in the quite extensive loopback that Public Health Scotland has been doing. Just to be clear, they have been looking at all PCR samples that have been done from 1 November to identify any that has this S gene drop-out, which used to be indicative of the alpha variant, which has more or less disappeared, is not indicative of the delta variant generally. So if it is appearing recently then the suspicion is that it is Omicron. That exercise so far has only identified those nine cases. Now I would expect that we will have more cases associated with this event and more generally, but I think that the work that has been done to get us to the position where I can stand up and say all of that is a huge credit to Public Health Scotland and to health protection teams and to test and protect and I want to thank them for that. On vaccinations, I will repeat everything that I said to Douglas Ross, we will accelerate the programme as far and as fast as we can. The 400,000 a week target, and it is a really important point to clarify, was for Covid and flu vaccinations. Annasarysen, no, it wasn't. Yes, it was and that is being exceeded. We will have to increase the number of vaccinations that have been done on a weekly basis, but again it's important. The JCVI and everybody recognises that not everybody can be vaccinated on a single day or immediately, so the order of priority in which we do it is important and that also has a bearing on how we choose to do it. Drop-in centres are important when we get to certain stages of a vaccination programme, but we have got to be careful that we don't use them inappropriately. If we only do it through drop-in, then Anna Sarwar, who is considerably younger than I am, can get ahead of me for vaccination when my risk is higher because I am older. I am using us as an example, obviously there are more extreme examples because he is not that much younger than me, but the general point I am making is understood. I am trying to say that we are doing all of these things in a way that gets us through it as quickly as possible, but it also follows proper, sensible clinical risk considerations as well. The last point, and we will keep Parliament updated on the roll-out of the vaccination programme, how we are increasing capacity and how we are planning to speed up that roll-out as far as possible. I am not complacent about this, and we will be held very strongly to account in weeks to come over this, as is right and proper. However, our progress so far suggests that the way we have been deploying those vaccinations is the best way to do that, so we will continue to learn from past experience. Finally, we will continue through the efforts that have got us to the point of identifying those nine cases today to try to identify cases as quickly as possible. The advantage of the SGN drop-out with this variant compared to Delta is that it allows indications of the presence of the variant to be identified through PCR testing, but then genomic sequencing is required to confirm it. All that work will be on-going while we learn more about the variant in the days to come. The emergence of new variants will always be a source of real concern. As we try to navigate our way out of this crisis, we have learned to expect the unexpected, however. For as long as the global south remains largely unvaccinated, that will keep happening. Right now, Richard Countries, like Great Britain, are stockpiling vaccines far in excess of what we will ever need, and many will go to waste when they could have gone to developing countries. I reflect the First Minister's marks in my own and say that that needs to change. We need to stop Omicron in its tract, or at the very least, to buy us enough time so that we can learn more about the effects of Omicron and get more boosters into arms. We know that the contact tracing system is already under immense strain, so can I ask the First Minister if she will consider instructing a programme of door-to-door surge PCR testing in communities around affected areas? At this stage, to instruct that on a blanket basis would be right or appropriate or the best use of resources that are under pressure, although coping very well. Today, of all days, I am not very sympathetic to any criticisms of our contact tracing teams who are doing heroic work right now to identify and understand the transmission patterns of those cases. It is the case that we can use and are using targeted enhanced testing where cases are identified, so that will start with those cases of testing of close contacts, because we want close contacts to isolate as well, and where health protection teams—this is important, I think—are their best place to understand and to judge where enhanced testing should be used. There may be some instances, as was the case earlier this year in the south side of Glasgow, where door-to-door testing is appropriate. There might be, but that has to be driven by the assessment of health protection teams. I think that, with those nine cases, with the loop-back surveillance that is being done, that would not necessarily be the right use of resources at this point, but if health protection teams think otherwise, they of course have the ability and the resources to get on and do that. Annabelle Ewing, to be followed by Rachel Hamilton. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I am just picking up very briefly on a point raised, which I think is important for people certainly in five to where of. NHS Fife is offering booster drop-in clinics from 5pm this evening, so I think that it is important to put on the record, but taking into account the latest emphasis on working from home, where possible, and the continuing importance of wearing face coverings, can the First Minister provide reassurance to my Cowdenbeath constituents that those key protection measures will be the subject of extensive public health information, awareness-raising campaigns and will in fact be enforced? First Minister. First Annabelle Ewing's first point is important. There is no absolute one-size-fits-all approach to how health boards are delivering vaccinations. Some are at different stages using drop-in clinics, and that is appropriate. It is about getting to people as quickly as possible through a variety of routes, and that will continue to be the approach. In terms of public awareness, yes, we already have TV, radio, digital and outdoor campaigns reminding the public of the key protections in place and the need to comply with those. We will intensify those over the winter period to ensure that everybody knows what is being asked of them. We will be putting particular stress on the request to people to test themselves before going to the pub or a restaurant or to visit somebody's house over Christmas or to go Christmas shopping. That is really important. That can do a lot to help us to break chains of transmission. Local authorities in the police also continue to take action to raise awareness in particular settings, so there will be a big focus on making sure that people understand what we are asking them to do, and that is important. However, I think that after two years, we all know what works against this virus. We are all just tired—I include myself in that—of doing it, but that is why this is an important moment for all of us to upper compliance again so that we can stop not just this new variant of the virus but the virus generally in its tracks and mitigate against the risks over winter. First Minister, only 33 per cent of 50 to 59-year-olds have received their booster jobs, however, last week they accounted for 20 per cent of hospital admissions, the highest of any age category. In light of that, can the First Minister spell out how many more vaccinators need to be deployed and how quickly those resources will be on the ground in order to speed up delivery of the booster job and will she finally commit to mass vaccination centres? I am not going to repeat my answer on vaccination centres. I think that I have set out the rationale and the thinking there and underlined the point that we are currently the most vaccinated part of the UK, including and in particular on booster jags. It is an important issue about getting uptake up in all age groups, but take 50 to 59-year-olds. Some of 50 to 59-year-olds are not vaccinated yet. I am in this category until yesterday, when the gap between second dose and booster dose was reduced, I was not yet eligible for my booster vaccination. I did not become eligible until later in December. Because of yesterday's change, I have now been able to go online and book an earlier appointment. There are lots of appointments becoming available every day. That will continue to be the case. To everybody in a similar position to me, I am now trying to bring forward your booster appointment. We cannot vaccinate everybody on a single day. That is never going to be—or even in a single week. That will take a number of weeks for us to work through. We will do that in the order of priority that the JCVI recommends, but we are going to get through it just as quickly as possible because it is our best line of defence in the period ahead. Kenneth Gibson, to be followed by Jackie Baillie. Presiding Officer, I thank the First Minister and the Health Secretary for acting so swiftly to resolve the booster's issue on Cumbria that I raised last Tuesday. My constituents greatly appreciate it. First Minister, figures show that vaccination levels in Scotland are lower in the often-highly mobile 30 to 39 age group than in any other. What steps have been taken to encourage people in that cohort specifically to get vaccinated? A lot of different actions have been taken by health boards through communication, through the location of vaccination centres to target the groups where uptake is lower, where we know for a variety of reasons people are less likely to come forward. That has included places of worship, other community settings, providing concessionary bus travel to appointments, for example, working with community leaders in different parts of society to try to do that. All of us have a part to play here to do everything that we can to get those messages across. It is worth noting that even in that 30 to 39-year-old age group uptake is high. Uptake across the age groups is higher than for. Of course, not all of those age groups are eligible for flu, but we are seeing a much higher uptake than we have seen for flu in recent years. That is about trying to get to those groups where we still need it to be higher and a whole range of different ways are being used and will continue to be used to try to do that. It is welcome news that the First Minister of Scotland and Wales are in close contact over precautions in the face of the new variant. Can the First Minister provide an update on any response that she and Mark Drayford have received from the Prime Minister regarding greater controls for travellers arriving in the United Kingdom? As far as I am aware, no formal response has been received from that letter yet, although I know that the UK Government did indicate its initial views on it yesterday, as it was perfectly entitled to do. We will continue to argue for things that we think are sensible. I think that it would be good for all four nations through the medium of Cobra to get together to discuss different approaches to that in the coming days, and I hope that that will be possible. That said, we are communicating closely across all four nations. I took part in a four nations call with Michael Gove and the other First Ministers on Saturday evening. I know that the health secretary has had a number of discussions with counterparts in the other nations, so there is good and close communication. However, some of those decisions are driven by the views of the UK Government, so on occasion it is really important for us to press them if we think that different things have to be done. In that regard, I speak to the First Minister of Wales reasonably often, and we exchange views on those things as we will continue to do. I will now call Jackie Baillie to be followed by Gillian Mackay. Of course, the suggestion from the First Minister and from the First Minister of Wales is that the travel restrictions should apply to everybody, irrespective of country of origin, self-isolating for eight days. If the UK Government responds negatively, will the First Minister impose those restrictions herself, as she has the power to do so? She will recognise that that has already had a chilling effect on travel businesses, with many families' plans for Christmas in the balance. What advice can she offer people, should they book to go away or not, and what compensation could she put in place for the travel industry if further restrictions are applied? What has had a chilling effect on people, if that is the case, although it is not a terminology that I would use, is the emergence of a new variant, frankly, not anything that we are trying to do sensibly to limit the spread of the new variant, so that further restrictions on people's freedoms and way of life are not necessary in the weeks to come. Thankfully, the Labour First Minister of Wales seems to take a more constructive and a more sensible approach to those issues than some of his colleagues in this chamber do. I have said before, and we have had this discussion many times before in terms of travel restrictions. I am not averse to doing things unilaterally where that makes sense, but, obviously, as anybody who understands travel patterns knows, is that many people travel to Scotland via and to Wales via airports in England. Just having a situation like this, a rule in place here, would not be effective. It would not get us the public health benefit, but it would do disproportionate damage to our airports, which is why I think that those kinds of protections are better and only really effective on a four nations basis. The First Minister of Wales and I are in agreement. We hope that this would be a temporary measure, but right now we need to do two things. We need to try to limit any transmission of the presence of the variant that is already in Scotland, but, while we are doing that, we need to try to ensure that we are not exacerbating that difficulty by importing more of it here. That is why those things are important, and we will continue to have constructive, I hope constructive, discussions about those things in the days and weeks ahead. Julie Mackay to be followed by Christine Grahame. The Scottish Greens have promoted a cautious approach throughout this pandemic, and with the emergence of the new Omicron variant, we believe that caution must be maintained. The need for robust test, trace and isolate systems have never been more important. The reintroduction of the day to PCR tests is welcome. I made the case previously that we should have retained it. We know that PCR tests allow us to monitor new variants entering the country in a way that lateral flow tests simply cannot. Will the First Minister commit to keeping these important tests in place for the duration of the pandemic so that we can detect any new variants on entry and not wait until community transmission is already taking place? We have to continue to judge the proportionality of all the measures, protections and restrictions that we have in place. There is no doubt that having some protections in place now will avoid the need for restrictions later, but it is not legally, as well as in many other ways, it is not possible simply to give a blanket commitment to keep anything in place indefinitely. We have a legal requirement to test the proportionality of measures on an on-going basis, so that is why we have three weekly reviews. I take the point that Gillian Mackay is making about the importance of measures to help us to detect whether new variants are coming into the country. The new variant appears to have been detected very quickly. It has been detected in southern Africa and all credit to Governments there for doing that so assiduously and so quickly. That does not mean that it originated in any of those African countries. We do not know that yet, but it does underline the importance of having good surveillance and detection measures in place. Testing will always be a part of that, but we have to ensure that any measures that we have in place remain proportionate and are not kept in place for longer than is necessary. Christine Grahame, to be followed by Jeremy Balfour. Thank you, Presiding Officer. First Minister, this is further to Annabel Ewing's question. While I accept it as a minority anecdotally, there does appear to be an increase in the numbers, not sanitising the shopping trolleys, not wearing masks on public transport or indeed in stores and in stores not having someone monitoring at entry points. What discussions has the Government had with transport operators and store managers about increasing awareness of their customers to those mandatory requirements? Does the Government have any data on non-compliance? We have a range of data about compliance with different measures. I think that we have published, if memory serves me correctly, some of that in a regular basis, but if we don't, I will see what we can provide on that. We discuss regularly with transport operators, with the retail sector, with business organisations generally. The finance secretary had a round-table discussion with business organisations just yesterday about all the different ways they can help, including facilitating working from home wherever possible. I think that it is the case. I include myself in this. We have all, because we are sick and tired of this, because we have been in a period where perhaps the perceived risk has been reducing. We all perhaps feel a bit stronger, as we should, because of vaccination, that we have all been letting our guard slip a bit around these basic mitigations. I think that that is understandable, but now is a moment. Not just because of the new variant, although that is definitely increasing the need for this, but because of the risk that winter poses anyway. Over this period, which might be really challenging, if we do all of these basic things, all of that added together will make a difference. If we have, as I am sure all of us have, been forgetting to do some of those things in recent weeks, this is the time just to stop, to think about what we need to do and make sure that we do it, because it really will help us through this winter much more safely than will otherwise be the case. Jeremy Balfour, to be followed by Bill Kidd. Thank you, Presiding Officer. In August, we were told that a Scottish inquiry into the handling of a pandemic will begin before the end of the calendar year. Can the First Minister tell us if this commitment will be delivered and if not, when will it be delivered? Yes, our commitment will be delivered, which was to ensure the establishment of the public inquiry before the end of this calendar year. We are in the process of identifying and appointing a chair for the inquiry, and I know that we intend to update Parliament on that before the Christmas recess. Once the inquiry is established, once a chair has been appointed, the time scale and the process for starting to take evidence and all the other aspects of the inquiry are very much down to the independent chair who takes that forward. Bill Kidd, to be followed by Pauline McNeill. Thank you for the update. Given the new variant, people are getting their booster jab has become much more important, and many people have received their initial and second vaccines outside of Scotland. They are Scottish residents, but they have their jabs outside of Scotland. How can we ensure that they receive their booster jab here? The First Minister should be able to receive their booster jab here. Obviously, there may be some individuals in a particular category that, if anybody has constituents in that position by all means, let us know and we will look into the individual circumstances. Generally, anyone who is eligible for a booster here in Scotland who has not received an appointment or cannot book through the website can call the helpline. I will give that number 0800 030 8013, and that includes anyone who has received one or both doses outside of Scotland. If you have not had your appointment, call the helpline and they will assist you in getting one. The enhanced surveillance of the First Minister, as I talked about earlier, and the vaccine roll-out is extremely impressive in Scotland. I think that it gives people hope that we can find this. Given the massive pressures on the booster programme and the wider eligibility, including after second dose, reducing it for three months to six, does the First Minister think that Greater Glasgow should be resourced to establish again the Louisa Jordan as a vaccine centre, as it was quite a critical venue in achieving the success that we have now? Greater Glasgow and Clyde, like all health boards, will judge what facilities they need, and if any health boards want to discuss with us the establishment of one, on that scale, of course, we will discuss that with them and discuss the resource implications of that. The Louisa Jordan did a fantastic job. There is no doubt about that, and what I am about to say is not intended as any criticism of those who did so much work there. It is in the nature sometimes of those very large centres that it also, I think, had the highest do not attend rate in the country. Members have heard me say this so many times. There is a constant balance that needs to be struck here between big throughput, speed of access and also local accessible availability as well, because many members also raise the inconvenience of people having to go to somewhere like the Louisa Jordan. That is a balance. I think that health boards are striking that balance really well, but with the kind of extension that we have had as of yesterday, we have to rethink whether any of those different approaches are appropriate or not. That is just a process that is under way right now, and we will continue right throughout this programme, and no doubt into the next one, which I fear will be coming before we know where we are as well. With not only winter but the new Omicron variant upon us, it is really imperative that everybody over age 70 is vaccinated with a third dose at pace. Although third dose vaccination coverage amongst this age group is positive and really encouraging, around 10 per cent of all over 70s in Lanarkshire are still to receive the third dose, can the First Minister confirm when the programme for over 70s is expected to be effectively completed? The programme for over 70s will be completed as soon as everybody who is going to come forward for a vaccination has come forward. People in the over 70 age group have been receiving invitations, I think, from early October. The vast, vast majority are already vaccinated, so anybody in that age group who is not vaccinated is because they have chosen or have been unable to come forward and be vaccinated. Again, we continue to put out the messages. If you are one of those people, it is not too late to get vaccinated. Go online, book an appointment, phone the helpline, the number of which I have just given, and get an appointment. Everybody in that age group who has wanted a vaccination has already been offered a vaccination. Of course, we are now working rapidly through the other age groups and will continue to do so. Tess White, to be followed by Stuart McMillan. First Minister, you have said that vaccination is the best line of defence. Yesterday, NHS Grampian closed vaccination centres in Aberdeenshire as a result of storm Arwyn. While damage and debris are still affecting the road infrastructure in the north-east, has the Scottish Government made any assessment of the number of people who are unable to attend vaccination appointments because of the storm and will action be taken to ensure that vaccination centres stay open safely during severe weather this winter? Efforts were made to ensure that vaccination centres where possible could stay open safely, but everybody and particularly those from the parts of the country most heavily affected know that it was not possible safely to keep every vaccination centre open and it would have been deeply irresponsible to have sought to do so. Anybody whose vaccination appointment had to be cancelled will be rescheduled, and yes, everybody will get access to vaccination. I know that work will already be under way. The Deputy First Minister is about to make a statement more generally on the very severe impact that many people in the north and indeed some people in the south of the country are still experiencing and in terms of still not having access to power. Deputy First Minister will give an update on that shortly and there is a significant amount of work under way to make sure that people are reconnected as quickly as possible, that welfare support is provided in the interim and that any wider impacts on vaccination certainly is one of those that will be rectified and caught up with as soon as possible. Stuart McMillan, to be followed by Katie Clark. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Can the First Minister indicate when those exempt from the vaccine passports, due to a terminal illness, will receive their vaccine exemption letters? As a constituent of mine, who has been confirmed as exempt by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde on 10 November, still has not received their letter, clearly times of the essence for patients such as my constituent. Stuart McMillan wants to write to the health secretary about his individual constituent. I am sure that that can be looked into. However, it is important to stress that, in the vast majority of cases, a successful route to safe vaccination can be found. That usually includes people who have terminal illness. Most of those in that category will still benefit from vaccination. However, where vaccination is not straightforward support is available and the local health line, the Covid status health line or local vaccination centres, can help to answer questions about the vaccine and what arrangements are in place around exemption. That is the general position. However, if there are individual cases where somebody has not, for one reason or another, been able to navigate that system, please let us know so that we can look into that as quickly as possible. Katie Clark, to be followed by Emma Harper. Like others, I have been contacted by a number of constituents over the last few weeks who are eligible for the booster, but have had difficulty accessing it despite the helpline. Can the First Minister provide a detailed breakdown by age group of those who have been offered and received the booster? If she fails at the moment that mass vaccination centres and drop-ins are not the best way forward, could she outline what she thinks can be done to put resources in to make it easier for people to get the booster? Information on the numbers in different age groups that have been vaccinated with the booster is published regularly. That information is available. There is, as has been reflected through some of the questions and answers today, a mixed provision of access to booster vaccination. That is right, because not every part of the country is the same. There has to be a reflection of the geographical position. We continue to address any localised issues where access has been difficult and resolve that. That will continue, but overall it is important to stress that. I think that most people across the country would recognise that. The vaccination programme is going incredibly well. We have, I think, 34 per cent, or just over 34 per cent now—I think that is on yesterday's figures—of the over 12 population who are vaccinated with booster jags. That compares. I think that the next country is Wales with 31.5 per cent or England with 31. We are significantly ahead. Does that mean that everybody is having a flawless experience? No, of course it doesn't, and we will address that as often and as quickly as we can. However, those who are working on the programme are literally saving lives every single day right now, and they are doing it at pace, and they are doing it with utmost determination, and all of us really do owe them the most immense debt of gratitude. Emma Harper is to be followed by Dean Lockhart. Given the public health advice to redouble efforts in terms of face covering, space and infection control measures, can the First Minister advise whether the Scottish Government intends to update guidance on the type of face covering the public should use to ensure that it is FFP2 mask or equivalent and ensuring that it is worn over the nose and the mouth and disposed of or laundered properly? We have published guidance on face coverings, and it is certainly kept under regular review. A face covering can be a covering of any type except a face shield, which does not fall within the definition that covers both the nose and the mouth. Due to equality and accessibility considerations, we do not mandate certain specifications, but we recommend that face coverings are made of cloth or other textiles and should be two or preferably three layers thick and fit securely around the mouth, nose and chin, while allowing somebody to breathe easily. Our guidance is in line with the WHO recommendations. Emerging variants of Covid-19 such as Omicron may, over time, require the development of updated vaccines. What discussions is the Scottish Government having with the UK Government and the JCVI on the potential need to develop updated vaccines? That would not really be the role of the JCVI to do that, although, obviously, it is integrally involved in advising Governments about who to vaccinate, but I know that there are discussions of this nature on-going all of the time. Members will have heard many of them talking in the media in recent days that the vaccine companies are already thinking about how they may need to change or adapt vaccines to deal with this new variant. Some of them have given indications—I heard Pfizer do that publicly the other day—of how long they thought that that would take. That work is already under way. Given how quickly and relatively the vaccines were developed from a standing start, we can have confidence that the scientific community and the vaccine developers and manufacturers are well placed to do anything that is required. However, we do not yet know that the vaccines are less effective, so let us not assume that at this stage. Even if it is the case, the current vaccines are still going to be hugely important. Now that we gather that the booster jag is to be given three months after the second one instead of six, does that mean that immunity is waning faster than we had expected? Does it mean that we have to get a booster every three months? No, I do not think that it necessarily means either of those things. It is not necessarily the case that we suddenly think immunity is waning faster, but we have a new variant that some think may manage to evade the immunity of the vaccines or natural immunity from past infection. The importance of getting as many to be non-clinical—how I will express this—as many antibodies into people as possible becomes all the more important, so that is the rationale for reducing the gap at this stage. We do not yet know what the frequency of the vaccination programme will be in years ahead. My working assumption is that this will be a regular vaccination programme. We should certainly be planning for that. We do not yet know that it may be a regular three-dose vaccination programme, or that there may be developments in the vaccines that enable it to be a single dose. There is so much that we do not know yet, and we need to get on with doing what we do know, which is getting boosters to as many people as possible, as quickly as possible. That concludes First Minister's statement on Covid-19 update. I wonder if you could help me. On a number of occasions, the First Minister and Cabinet Secretary say that, if you like to me with a request, we will look into it. I have had a number of constituents that I have written to different Cabinet Secretary on, and it has taken over 20 days to get to reply, often with urgent inquiries from constituents. Can you help me? How do I get to click a response so that I can help my constituents? Is there any way that you can intervene to make sure that we get the appropriate response at the appropriate time? Mr Balfour may be aware that that is not a matter normally for the chair, but his comments are now on the record.