A Granton Primary School pupil has tested positive for COVID-19, it has been confirmed.
The information was revealed to councillors at a full council meeting this morning.
Local North and Leith MSP Ben Macpherson said: “I am in touch with the Head Teacher and the Council, and will continue to monitor this situation.
“The Council have said that they are working closely with NHS Lothian’s Health Protection Team to provide parents and the wider school community with information and reassurance.”
Dr Duncan McCormick, Consultant in Public Health Medicine, NHS Lothian and Chair of the Incident Management Team (IMT), said: “NHS Lothian is investigating after a child at Granton Primary School in Edinburgh tested positive for COVID-19. The pupil is self-isolating at home with their family.
“A multi-disciplinary Incident Management Team (IMT) has been established to assess the situation and decide any next steps required.
“Enhanced cleaning measures are in place in schools in line with national guidance. The Health Protection Team has traced close contacts of the case.
“Following a robust risk assessment by the expert group, the school will remain open and pupils should continue to attend as normal. Appropriate advice has been provided and anyone who came into close contact with the case has been told to self-isolate for 14 days. The situation will continue to be closely monitored.
“For anyone else, the risk to their health is extremely low, but they should continue to be vigilant and aware of the symptoms.
“If you experience a high fever, persistent cough or loss of taste or smell, you must self isolate and book a test via the national COVID-19 helpline on 0800 028 2816 or go to www.nhsinform.scot”.
Nearly 600 people in Scotland are thought to have caught coronavirus at their place of work, new figures show. The data includes eight people who died from the virus since April.
Care home workers account for nearly two thirds of the suspected occupational exposures, according to Health and Safety Executive (HSE) data, but many other groups – hairdressers, funeral directors, beauty therapists and NHS workers among them – are also believed to have been exposed to the virus at work.
STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer said: “These figures confirm our view that undervalued key workers in care and the NHS have borne the brunt of workplace transmission of the virus with some, tragically, dying as a consequence.
“These figures are almost certainly the tip of the ice-berg. We suspect that there has been significant under-reporting, not to mention a significant incidence of transmission from workers without symptoms.
“Even taken at face value these figures shine a light on the failures we have witnessed in the delivery of adequate PPE and the slow response to the provision of testing for suspected Covid infection.
“Now, more than ever, government and every employer have the responsibility to get things right. Workplaces have been at the centre of localised outbreaks. We need the utmost vigilance, full engagement with unions and an open door for union roving health and safety reps in non-recognised workplaces.”
Gary Smith, secretary of the GMB Scotland union, said there is likely to be significant under-reporting of the suspected workplace coronavirus cases. He said: “The events of the last six months simply do not give any confidence in these figures.
“In sectors which predominately employ women, such as social care and food manufacturing, we are talking about industries notorious for the under-reporting of workplace incident and injury pre-Covid.
“We now know that many of the workers in these industries have been failed on basic health and safety issues, from the delay in the delivery of proper PPE provision to the ability to access testing for suspected Covid infection.”
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing in St Andrew’s House on Thursday 18th August:
Good afternoon, and thanks for joining us again today. As usual I will start with giving you the national COVID-19 statistics for Scotland.
I can confirm that an additional 49 positive cases were confirmed yesterday.
Which represents 1% of the people who were newly tested yesterday, and takes the total number of cases in Scotland to 19,407.
A full health board breakdown will be available later, but my provisional information I have is that 7 of the 49 new cases are in the Grampian health board area.
Twelve are in Greater Glasgow & Clyde, six in Lanarkshire and sixteen in Tayside.
We are dealing with known clusters in each of these health board areas and I’ll come back to those shortly.
I can also confirm that a total of 254 patients are currently in hospital with confirmed COVID. That is six more than yesterday.
And three people are in intensive care, which is the same as yesterday.
I’m also pleased to report that yet again in the past 24 hours, no deaths were registered of patients who first tested positive over the previous 28 days. The number of deaths under that measurement therefore remains 2,491.
We should remember that the weekly National Records of Scotland figures – which include confirmed and presumed COVID deaths – showed last week that five people had died in the preceding seven days who were presumed to have had COVID or whose test was more than 28 days prior to death occurring.
This week’s more comprehensive figure will be published by NRS tomorrow.
That of course a stark reminder of the impact of this virus, it is still potentially very dangerous and of course my condolences again go to everyone who has suffered loss.
And as always, I want to thank everyone who is working hard still to help our country through this pandemic in whatever capacity you are doing so, you have our appreciation.
Now, I’m hoping that – circumstances permitting – we may shortly move to having these updates slightly less frequently, perhaps three days a week rather than five.
However, I think it is important this week, that I give regular updates on the variety of different clusters and outbreaks that are currently being tackled across the country.
I will start with Aberdeen, and given that and indeed the Grampian area more generally, have been responsible for a very significant proportion of all new cases we have seen in recent weeks.
I mentioned earlier that seven of today’s 49 new cases were in the Grampian area.
And I can report today that according to the latest figures we have a total of 386 cases have been now been identified in Grampian since the 26th of July.
220 of these are associated with the cluster linked to Aberdeen pubs, and 1125 contacts have now been identified from those 220 cases.
I can confirm today that 13 cases which had previously been identified but not allocated to the cluster have now following further investigation been added because they are considered to be associated with that cluster.
Now, the slightly more positive news is that in recent days we have seen a decline in new cases across the Grampian area.
Ten days ago, for example, we reported 39 new cases in one day. Today, we have reported seven.
The seven day average for cases has also fallen.
That suggests that the restrictions we put in place two weeks ago are having an impact – as are the efforts of our health protection teams.
However it is worth highlighting that over the past week new cases in Grampian are still higher than in other parts of the country.
We will have to take that fact into account, when we announce tomorrow whether or not there will be any change to the restrictions currently in place in Aberdeen.
The situation there does appear to be improving – but it is important to stress we can’t yet say that that outbreak is completely over.
I also mentioned yesterday about the cluster in Coupar Angus which is linked to a 2 Sisters food processing plant.
So far, I can report that this outbreak has nine confirmed cases associated with it – but I will be surprised, albeit pleasantly, if we don’t see that number rise in the days ahead.
Seven of the cases identified so far are employees of the factory, and two are people in the wider community. Contact tracing is ongoing for all of these cases.
The factory – which employs approximately 900 people in total – so it is a big workplace – closed down yesterday. A mobile testing unit is due on site today, so that the whole workforce can be tested.
This is a complex and potentially significant cluster.
In addition to the overriding public health concern relating to the outbreak, the closure of the plant potentially of course has an economic impact.
We also need to consider possible animal welfare issues – the animals which would have been sent to the factory in the next few days cannot currently be sent there.
For all of those reasons, we are monitoring all aspects of this situation very carefully and closely, and will provide further information in due course as and when it becomes available.
There are also some cases and clusters that have been identified in the last couple of days involving school pupils
For example, there are individual cases involving school students who go to primary schools in Blairgowrie, Perth and Paisley.
The health protection teams are dealing with these cases and have written to the parents and careers of the infected children’s classmates, to advise them where necessary that their own children should be isolating.
I also mentioned yesterday community clusters in Lanarkshire and North East Glasgow, which include secondary school students – and which appear to be linked to each other.
Now, it is important to stress that these are considered at this stage to be community clusters with an impact on schools, rather than school based clusters. That is an important distinction, it is not thought that the virus has transmitted within the schools
In Lanarkshire, the number of confirmed cases is eight, which includes five people from three different schools. The risk of infection at all three schools is considered low.
The cluster in Baillieston, North East Glasgow currently has 14 identified cases, some of which are students at one school.
Contact tracing is taking place for this cluster.
In addition – and this is of course relevant for both of those outbreaks I have just mentioned – there are mobile testing units at the Time Capsule car park in Coatbridge and at Ravenscraig, in addition to the testing centre at Glasgow airport.
Let me repeat a point I made earlier because I think it is really important for people to understand this. These are community based clusters. And there does appears to be a link with indoor social events.
And the evidence we have at this stage seems to suggest, not surprisingly given how infectious we know COVID is, that if the virus is present at say, a house party, everyone attending the party is at considerable risk of infection – and then of course, the risk is that they spread the infection more widely.
All of that underlines the vital importance right now of abiding by the restrictions on household gatherings.
If I can remind you of what those are, no more than eight people, from a maximum of three different households should be gathering indoors. And two metre distance should be maintained between people from different households.
These rules are not easy – I really do understand that. But not sticking to them is presenting perhaps one of our biggest risks of outbreaks occurring at this time.
So I can’t stress enough how important it is that we all do abide by and comply with these rules.
For all of the outbreaks I have mentioned, Test and Protect teams are working hard to identify individuals who need to self-isolate and get tested.
But as always, anybody who has symptoms – in these areas or indeed anywhere across Scotland – should book a test immediately.
The symptoms are a new cough, a high temperature, or a loss of or change in your sense of taste and smell. Tests can be booked through the NHS inform website.
And I would appeal to you again, don’t hesitate, don’t delay, don’t wait, even a few hours to see if you feel better. If you experience any of these symptoms, time is of the essence, book a test as quickly as you possibly can.
Before I conclude and move on to questions and the Chief Medical Officer is with me today who will assist me in answering the questions. I just want to come to the issue of schools and say a final few words. Firstly to stress again that all of the cases we have seen so far which have involved school students, suggest that transmission has taken place outside of the school not in the schools.
That emphasises again the importance of keeping transmission rates as low as possible in the community, continuing to do everything we can to drive these transmission rates down as close to elimination levels as we can. That’s good for our overall health and wellbeing and the overall fight against this virus but it is also the action that will allow us to keep schools safely open. And let’s not forget the importance of that objective.
It is overwhelmingly in the best interests of young people, particularly after 4 or 5 months where they have been out of school, to be in full time education. The harm to them of losing out on that are considerable.
But we will, I think inevitably see more cases which involve school students in the weeks and months ahead.
In those cases – as has happened in the ones I’ve mentioned today – contact tracers will identify if any other students or staff at the school need to isolate, and will let them and their parents know.
More generally, the Test and Protect system so far has worked well for each outbreak we have faced to date.
And for every cluster, incident management teams in the local area are considering the latest evidence, and assessing what further follow up actions need to take place. I once again want to thank everyone involved in those efforts.
So when I give updates like today’s – providing details of cases and clusters in different parts of the country, and particular when some cases involving schools – I don’t do that to alarm you. Partly, I do it to try to reassure that the appropriate steps are being taken and appropriate interventions are in place. But although I don’t want to alarm anybody, I do want people to take notice, in fact I need people to take notice.
These clusters show us that this virus continues to pose a serious risk. It is present in our communities, and that’s why I keep saying where ever you are, assume it is right next to you and capable, if you don’t do the right things, of being transmitted to you, and perhaps from you to somebody else.
We know, and the evidence coming from recent clusters is underlining this point, this is a highly infectious virus, and once it takes hold, it can spread rapidly. And the effort that is needed then through our Test and Protect teams to stop it spreading is considerable and remember, Test and Protect is our second line of defence, we are all the first line of defence.
So for all of these reasons, the Scottish Government may well again take a fairly cautious approach on Thursday, when I will announce in the Scottish Parliament the outcome of our review of the Phase 3 lockdown restrictions.
But for all of us, these clusters should remind us of the need to be ultra-careful right now.
They demonstrate in particular how quickly and easily COVID spreads in indoor environments – which is why I am asking you to be particularly careful about socialising indoors.
And remember that the limits I mentioned earlier – a maximum of eight people from no more than three different households – apply to groups in pubs and restaurants together, just as they do in people’s homes.
And finally before we move to questions, all of us must continue not to just remember FACTS but in everything we do, abide by the rules that are encapsulated in that FACTS campaign.
These are the five basic rules that will help all of us to contribute to stopping this virus spreading and getting out of control. So those five rules are; · Face coverings in enclosed spaces · Avoid crowded places indoors or outdoors · Clean your hands regularly and remember to clean hard surfaces that you might be touching. · Two metre distancing remains the overall rule. Even perhaps especially if you are mixing with other households indoors, in your own home or elsewhere and lastly · Self-isolate, and book a test, if you have any of the symptoms of COVID that I mentioned earlier. A cough, a temperature, or a loss of, or change in your sense of taste or smell.
If we all do these things, we undoubtedly will continue to see clusters and outbreaks, but all of that will help us keep these contained and stop this virus taking a greater grip of us in terms of wider community transmission.
So, my thanks again to everybody for listening today and for continuing to do the right thing. And please, my usual plea at the end is, please spread this message to as many people as you can, so as many people as possible are following all of this vital health advice.
The Scottish Government has published its updated Testing Strategy setting out the role testing continues to play in tackling coronavirus (COVID-19).
The strategy focuses on a number of key areas of testing:
whole population testing of anyone with symptoms (Test & Protect)
proactive case finding by testing contacts and testing in outbreaks
protecting the vulnerable and preventing outbreaks in high risk settings by routine testing
testing for direct patient care, to diagnose and to treat, and to support safe patient care as NHS services restart
surveillance to understand the disease, track prevalence, understand transmission and monitor key sectors
A key development to strengthen surveillance work and help prevent the spread of the virus will be for all contacts of COVID-19 index cases to be offered testing regardless of whether they have symptoms.
At present, recent close contacts of those people with a positive test result, are asked to isolate for 14 days. While they will still have to do this, they will now also be advised to get a test, allowing for further contacts to be identified and potential, wider outbreaks contained.
In addition, from September, Scotland will participate in the ONS Covid-19 Infection Survey which is currently operating in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
This represents the single biggest expansion to date of asymptomatic testing for surveillance purposes in the pandemic. The survey will eventually see approximately 15,000 individuals in Scotland tested during every two-week rolling period. This equates to approximately 9,000 households.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “The publication of our Testing Strategy clearly sets out the role of testing in our response to COVID-19, which will continue to evolve as the scientific and clinical understanding of the virus develops.
“We know that meeting this challenge requires a comprehensive set of public health measures to drive the number of cases down – intelligence, anticipation, prevention, mitigation and response and clearly testing has a crucial role – it allows us to get ahead of the curve and track down and contain the virus as far as possible.
“We will continue to adapt our testing strategy in line with the different stages of the pandemic. However, testing is only one effective intervention that we are using to manage the virus and it remains vital that people continue to follow physical distancing advice and practise good hand and cough hygiene not just for their own safety but in order to protect others.”
People with any of the following symptoms should self-isolate and book a test at nhsinform.scot/test-and-protect or call 0800 028 2816 if they are unable to access the online service:
Over 100,000 people have signed up for future COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials through the NHS COVID-19 vaccine research registry of volunteers are helping speed up efforts to find a safe and effective vaccine in the fight against coronavirus
UK researchers urge more volunteers across all groups to sign-up, especially the over 65s and those from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds
Over 100,000 people have volunteered to take part in COVID-19 vaccine trials, helping to speed up efforts to discover a safe and effective vaccine.
The UK Government is today (Monday 17 August) encouraging more people to join the thousands of volunteers and sign up to the NHS COVID-19 Vaccine Research Registry to help the NHS in the fight against coronavirus and ensure potential candidates work for everyone.
To enable large-scale vaccine studies to take place across the UK, the aim is to get as many people as possible signed up to the Registry by October.
Researchers particularly welcome people from all parts of society, especially those who are more likely to benefit from a vaccine, including the over 65s, frontline health and social care workers, and those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds.
Clinical studies with a diverse pool of volunteers will help scientists and researchers better understand the effectiveness of each vaccine candidate and will considerably speed up efforts to discover a safe and workable vaccine.
Business Secretary Alok Sharma said: “From John O’Groats to Land’s End, everyone has played their part in tackling coronavirus from wearing face coverings to following social distancing guidance.
“Scientists and researchers are working day and night to find a vaccine that meets the UK’s rigorous regulatory and safety standards, but they need hundreds of thousands of people of all backgrounds and ages to sign-up for studies to speed up this vital research.
“I urge everyone to play our part in the fight against coronavirus and join the 100,000 people who have already registered, so we can help save and protect millions of lives.”
Chair of the government’s Vaccines Taskforce Kate Bingham said: “Protecting those at risk is the only way we will end this pandemic. That’s why we are working as quickly as possible to run clinical studies on the most promising vaccines to see whether they offer protection against COVID-19, whilst adhering to the UK’s strict safety and regulatory processes. And we need people throughout the UK to sign up to the registry to help us achieve this.
“Getting 100,000 volunteers on board is a great start but we need many more people from many different backgrounds that we can call on for future studies if we are to find a vaccine quickly to protect those who need it against coronavirus.”
Consultant Respiratory Physician and Director of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) PRC, Bradford, Dinesh Saralaya said: “The best way to protect us from future outbreaks is to develop effective vaccines. Several vaccine trials are being conducted around the UK in the coming months and it is important that we all sign up to be contacted about them.
“I would like to reassure people that research trials and studies are strictly regulated for ethics and safety. They are conducted within the framework of the NIHR, which is the research partner of the NHS, and we take every precaution to safeguard participants taking part. This includes appointments in settings like sports halls close to where people live and work rather than in hospitals.
“By working together, we can produce efficient vaccines which are likely to protect all sections of our society from this dreadful virus in future.”
18-year-old Marium Zumeer from Bradford, who was hospitalised after contracting COVID-19, has first-hand experience of the benefits of taking part in clinical trials.
During her time in intensive care, she was offered the opportunity to take part in the national RECOVERY trial, which is testing a range of potential treatments for COVID-19. This includes the drug dexamethasone, which was found to be the first drug to be effective when treating those who are critically ill with the virus.
RECOVERY trial volunteer Marium Zumeer said: “I will always be grateful for being encouraged to sign up. I remember my dad at the time urging me to take part, not just for myself but for the wider community.
“The result has been really positive for me and I would encourage others to do their bit in helping us all in the fight against coronavirus.
Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty said: “I’m very grateful to those who have volunteered for researchers to contact them to take part in COVID-19 vaccine studies, via the NHS COVID-19 vaccine research registry. The more people who volunteer to take part the more likely we find an answer to whether any vaccine is effective.
“Having 100,000 volunteers in just four weeks shows the selflessness of the public and is testament to the speed of work done by the Vaccines Taskforce, National Institute for Health Research and others to make signing up possible.
“I urge people to continue to sign up. It is important that we have people from different backgrounds and ages as volunteers, so that the vaccines that are developed work for everyone.”
A number of trials in the UK are expected to begin this autumn, working with the NHS, research institutions and businesses, helping to develop and manufacture the vaccines.
Launched on 20 July, the NHS COVID-19 Vaccine Research Registry is an online service allowing members of the public to register their interest in COVID-19 vaccine studies and be contacted to participate in future clinical trials.
Vaccines are tested in stages to ensure they are safe and effective. Volunteers who are contacted to take part in trials will be given information about what stage a particular vaccine is at and details of how it has already been tested. They will be able to consider this when deciding to take part and people can withdraw from the registry at any point.
The Registry has been developed by the government, in partnership with the NIHR, NHS Digital, the Scottish and Welsh governments and the Northern Ireland Executive.
The SPFL has agreed to implement an urgent package of measures – and to the postponement of a limited number of Scottish Premiership fixtures – following another breach of protocols.
The decision was taken by the SPFL, following discussion with Ministers, after Celtic FC player Boli Bolingoli allegedly failed to self-isolate for the required 14 day quarantine period after returning from Spain.
The player apparently did not declare this trip to the club and continued to break the resumption of performance sport protocols by taking part in training and playing in the club’s game against Kilmarnock FC on Sunday.
This follows the earlier breach of protocol involving players from Aberdeen FC.
Matches involving Aberdeen and Celtic this midweek, and the match between the two clubs scheduled for this weekend – three games in total – will now be postponed.
In addition:
The SPFL has agreed to put an immediate player education programme in place to ensure no further rule breaks occur and players and staff are fully aware of their responsibilities
The SPFL has also agreed to put in place punitive measures that can be implemented so they can directly take action against players in the event of further rule breaches
The SPFL agreed to undertake promotional activity on behalf of SG – FACT branded material, etc
Minister for Sport Joe FitzPatrick said: “A lot of work has gone on behind the scenes during these past months to create the protocols and testing regimes that have allowed top level professional football in Scotland to resume, without putting the public or others at unnecessary risk.
“It is up to the football authorities, clubs and individuals within those clubs to take responsibility to ensure that these protocols are followed rigorously. Unfortunately, over the past few weeks, we have seen multiple examples where that hasn’t happened.
“This latest example indicates that the current arrangements are not working as intended, and so clearly additional steps now need to be taken to ensure that the necessity of strict compliance with the rules is fully and properly understood.”
National Clinical Director Jason Leitch said: “I share the disappointment of many fans at this setback but this is another example which unfortunately demonstrates that the current system is not working as intended and does not give me the confidence I need that the required protocols are being followed.
“The football authorities and clubs must be able to provide the Scottish Government with the confidence required that everyone involved in the sport understands the absolute necessity of adhering rigorously to the guidelines in place so that football does not present an unnecessary risk to public health more generally.”
Rod Petrie, Chair of the SPFL Joint Response Group, said: “The Joint Response Group has acted swiftly and decisively in addressing the latest concerns raised by the minister on behalf of Scottish Government.
While the decision to postpone these games is deeply regrettable nevertheless in the circumstances it is unavoidable and uncontestable.
“The JRG members were astounded to learn of the recklessness demonstrated by Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo in his breach of government public health guidance and football protocols. We echo the sentiments of Celtic FC in their condemnatory statement and commend the club’s swiftness in opening a disciplinary investigation.
“That this comes on the back of eight Aberdeen players showing similar disregard for public health is disrespectful not just to every football team-mate, fellow player and colleague but also to every fan in this country. It is also hugely damaging to the image, reputation and sustainability of the game.
“We sympathise with the position this puts the Scottish Government in as the country is tentatively easing its way out of lockdown restrictions.
“We agree wholeheartedly with the unequivocal message relayed to managers and captains by the National Clinical Director for Scotland, Professor Jason Leitch, last night. Clubs and players are in no doubt that there is now no more margin for error and no more scope for further breaches.
“Since March, the Joint Response Group has worked hand-in-hand with government advisers and medical experts to ensure a safe return for the professional game, with clubs undertaking to fulfil their obligations.
“Players must heed the warning of the First Minister that this is a yellow-card moment for Scottish football.”
Neil Doncaster, SPFL Chief Executive, added: “We have only been able to restart matches thanks to the enormous efforts and sacrifices of literally thousands of people across the Scottish game. For anyone to put that in jeopardy in such a thoughtless and selfish manner is just beyond belief.
“The vast majority of players and officials who have strictly observed the necessary restrictions will rightly see this as a real kick in the teeth.
“Everyone knows that this season’s fixture schedule is already horrendously tight without having to reschedule matches because of the irresponsible actions of a handful of players.”
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the media briefing in St Andrew’s House this afternoon:
Good afternoon, and thanks for joining us. I’ll start with the usual update on the most recent Covid-19 statistics for Scotland.
I can confirm that an additional 29 positive cases were confirmed yesterday. That represents 0.8% of the people who were newly tested yesterday, and it takes the total number of cases in Scotland to 19,027.
A full health board breakdown will be available later, but the provisional information I have is that 18 of the 29 cases are in the Grampian health board area.
It is not yet clear how many are connected to the ongoing outbreak in Aberdeen and I will say a little bit more about the situation there shortly.
A total of 267 patients are currently in hospital with confirmed Covid, that is six more than yesterday and three people are in intensive care and that is the same as yesterday.
I’m also very pleased to say that yet again in the past 24 hours, no deaths were registered of patients who tested positive over the previous 28 days and therefore the number of deaths under that measurement remains 2,491. Obviously though the total number of deaths still reminds us every single day of the dreadful impact of Covid and my condolences again go to everyone who has suffered loss.
And as always, I want to thank everyone who is working hard to help our country through this pandemic.
I have two things I want to update on today. The first is the current situation in Aberdeen and then I want to say a bit about the reopening of schools from tomorrow.
I’ve just mentioned that in the last 24 hours, 18 new cases were confirmed in the Grampian Health Board area.
That means that in the 15 days since 26th of July, a total of 231 cases in Grampian have been identified.
We understand that 157 of those are linked in some way to the Aberdeen cluster.
And a total of 852 contacts have now been identified from those 157 cases.
Now it’s important to stress that those 852 contacts might not equate exactly to 852 people – there is likely to be some overlap between different cases.
But that figure helps to give some idea, I think, of the scale of the tracing exercise which is underway in Aberdeen.
The majority of those contacts have already been traced, and tracing procedures are in place for the others. And that in itself shows how hard and well our Test and Protect teams are working – even in relation to a large and complex cluster.
In addition, I hope that the measures that we put in place in Aberdeen last week will help to slow and then stop transmission before it becomes widespread within the community.
And the advice we have put in place about not travelling to or from Aberdeen – unless absolutely essential – should reduce the risk of cases spreading from Aberdeen to other parts of Scotland.
That said we do expect the number of cases and contacts in the Aberdeen cluster to rise further in the days ahead. But I want to take the opportunity again to thank all those working hard locally to seek to contain this cluster as quickly and as effectively as possible.
More generally, the events of the past fortnight have been a reminder of how fragile Scotland’s overall position is and that is the same in countries across the world.
We have seen and we are still seeing, thankfully, low rates of transmission in most parts of the country.
But we have also seen in Aberdeen how quickly that can change, it can literally change in an instant. And it will change, if we drop our guard.
So, for that reason, whenever you are out and about, please continue to think about your own actions, not just in Aberdeen but wherever you happen to be in the country.
Let me remind you that no more than three households should be meeting together indoors at any one time – in each other’s homes, and in places like bars and restaurants. It is important to recognize that household limit applies in places like bars and restaurants just as it does in your own home.
And people from different households should be staying physically distant from each other at all times. And again that is something we advise strongly if you are in a bar, just as we do if you are meeting other households in your own house.
And each of us should be thinking about our recent behaviour. All of us asking ourselves have we been a bit more relaxed about things like physical distancing when we’ve been meeting up with friends recently?
Are we creating more bridges that allow this virus to spread, to travel from us to another household, or from another household to us?
Because if we are doing that, and I think it is inevitable that many of us will have dropped our guard that little bit, then now is the time to recognise that and try to rectify it, because the fact is we all still need to be really careful right now. And Aberdeen is very hard proof of that fact.
Nobody’s life, while our lives have regained a bit of normality in recent weeks, nobody’s life should be feeling absolutely normal at the moment. Covid is still present, and we know it is still highly infectious.
So all of us have a big role to play in trying to keep it under control. And one reason why that is so important, why suppressing and hopefully eliminating the virus is so important, is that it is the best way of ensuring that schools can reopen, and then stay open, safely. That has to be a priority for all of us, and it is very much a priority for Government.
Earlier this morning I visited West Calder High School in West Lothian, to see for myself the preparations that they are making for reopening this week.
Like many schools across the country, they are having a phased return.
Tomorrow is an in-service day for staff.
Wednesday is for students in secondary school years 1 to 3. And Thursday is for students in year 1, and years 4 to 6.
And then from Friday, all students will be in the school full-time.
I think it is worth saying that for students and staff, school will feel different to how it was before.
There will, for example, be a lot more handwashing.
Some schools will have staggered starts and lunchbreaks – at West Calder for example, school lunches have to be ordered on an app in the morning and collected at lunchtime.
And for staff, while young people are not required to keep two metres apart within schools, teachers and other adult staff do need to keep that distance.
Now, I know that there will be nerves and anxiety for children, parents and teachers this week and I think that is entirely understandable.
Hopefully induction days that I know are happening in many schools will help young people to get used to the changes, and to being around each other again.
But fundamentally all of us know that the reopening of schools is essential for children’s education, personal development and indeed I think for their general wellbeing and happiness.
So what we are doing, is trying to ensure that the reopening is safe and effective.
I was really impressed and reassured this morning by what I saw of the preparations at West Calder, and I know those preparations are being repeated in schools right across the country, and I am very grateful to everyone – teachers, teaching assistants, local authority workers and all school staff – who are enabling schools to safely reopen.
There are three other quick points I just want to make in relation to schools.
The first is that although schools can reopen from tomorrow, this reopening does not yet apply to unregulated indoor activities for school children – for example some indoor play or activity clubs, and some faith-related education such as Sunday schools and madrassahs. They should not start again until agreed guidance is in place.
The second point is about travel. We know that the reopening of schools will put extra pressure on public transport and on our road network.
So Transport Scotland is today launching a Travel Safe campaign. It asks commuters to help the transport system by only travelling if you need to, and by working at home when you can.
But if you do need to travel, please walk, cycle or wheel to work whenever that is possible.
And if you need to use public transport or if you need to drive, which will be the case for some people, think about whether you could make your journey outside of the peak times.
The continued need for physical distancing on public transport, as schools reopen and as more business activities resume, will put more pressure on transport services. So the Travel Safe campaign is intended to help you think about ways in which you can help with that.
The final point I want to cover today is for those pupils, and indeed parents of pupils, who received their SQA results last week.
John Swinney will make a statement in parliament tomorrow about the steps we intend to take to address concerns about this year’s results.
And at the heart of that, we will be taking steps to ensure that every young person gets a grade that recognises the work they have done.
Let me be clear about this – in a very difficult and unprecedented situation, we took decisions that we thought, on balance, were the right ones, and we took them with the very best of intentions. These were broadly the same decisions that have been reached for England and Wales as well.
But our concern – which was to make sure that the grades young people got, were as valid as those they would have got in any other year – perhaps led us to think too much about the overall system and not enough about the individual pupil.
And that has meant that too many students feel that they have lost out on grades they should have had – and also that has happened as a result, not of anything they’ve done, but because of a statistical model or an algorithm. In addition, that burden has not fallen equally across our society.
So despite our best intentions, I do acknowledge that we did not get this right and I am sorry for that. But instead of doing what politicians sometimes do and dig our heels in, we are determined to acknowledge that and to put it right.
There are, of course, deeper questions that we will need to resolve for the longer term – about the impact of exams on the attainment gap, and on the difference between exams and teacher judgment.
But the most immediate challenge is to resolve the grades awarded to pupils this year.
As I have said we will set out our approach tomorrow to the Scottish Parliament, but let me be clear that we will not expect every student who has been downgraded to appeal.
This situation is not the fault of students, and so it should not be on students to fix it. That is on us, and we will set out tomorrow exactly how we intend to do that.
.@NicolaSturgeon says she still has confidence in her Education Secretary John Swinney.
FM also reiterates her commitment to address the issue of the exam results.
These are the two main issues I wanted to cover today.
Obviously we will talk a lot more about both of these issues, and no doubt others, as the week progresses.
Before I hand over, first to the Health Secretary and then to the Chief Medical Officer, let me just close by reminding everybody again of FACTS – the five rules that we all must follow to stay as safe as possible.
Face coverings in enclosed spaces
Avoid crowded places.
Clean your hands and hard surfaces regularly.
Two metre distancing remains the overall rule.
and self isolate, and book a test, if you have symptoms.
If we all comply with these five golden rules, then we will collectively reduce the risk of this virus spreading.
So I encourage everybody to do that and to do that rigorously because it is in the interest of all of us, individually, in the interest of our families, but also in the interests of the country as a whole.
Following the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Aberdeen, people are reminded of the importance of self-isolation to control the spread of the virus.
Once a positive case is identified, contact tracers will call all of their close contacts and advise them to self-isolate for 14 days.
Calls from contact tracers will come from one number – 0800 0308 012 – and the identity of the positive case will not be disclosed.
Interim Chief Medical Officer Gregor Smith said: “Test and Protect is vital to help us suppress the virus and identify any local outbreaks like the one in Aberdeen.
“It is crucial that people who are identified as close contacts of a positive index case follow the advice given by the contact tracer and self-isolate for 14 days.
“If you are a contact of a positive case you must still self-isolate even if you get a negative test result. A negative result is not a substitute for self-isolating as people can be asymptomatic and test positive at a later date.
“Self-isolation, as part of the Test and Protect system, will help us contain the spread of the virus and help us move out of lockdown.”
People with any of the following symptoms should self-isolate and book a test at nhsinform.scot/test-and-protect or call 0800 028 2816 if they are unable to access the online service:
Social care workers, people over 55 and household members of those who are shielding will all be eligible for the free seasonal flu vaccine. The Scottish Government will look to extend to those aged 50-54, if vaccine supplies allow.
This winter, to protect those most at risk from concurrent infection of COVID-19 and flu, the government is expanding the vaccination programme to new groups and increasing capacity to vaccinate more people than ever before.
Groups who will continue to be eligible for the free flu vaccine include: those aged 65 and over, those with underlying health conditions, pregnant women, children aged between two and five, primary school children, health care workers and young and unpaid carers.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “The seasonal flu vaccination programme helps to protect the most vulnerable and alleviate pressure on the NHS. This will be more important than ever this year, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“That’s why this flu season, we are extending free eligibility to social care workers who provide direct care, household members of individuals who are shielding, all those aged 55 and over, and those aged 50-54 if vaccine supplies allow.
“We want to reassure those who may now feel anxious about leaving home to get vaccinated. Getting the seasonal flu vaccine, especially when you have free eligibility, is one of the ways that you can support the NHS whilst protecting yourself and others this winter.
“If you think you are eligible for the vaccine, please visit NHS Inform, and if you receive a letter inviting you to get a vaccine, please follow the instructions.”
Interim Chief Medical Officer Gregor Smith said: “Social care workers often come into contact with those most vulnerable to the seasonal flu, and vaccinating them will help to protect them whilst also providing indirect protection to the people they care for.
“Individuals who are shielding have already been identified as being at a high risk from COVID-19, and this risk is heightened should they contract the virus and seasonal flu at the same time.
“Similarly, vaccinating 55-64 year olds – as well as those aged 50-54 if vaccine supplies allow – will help to protect an age group who are vulnerable to both COVID-19 and the seasonal flu, helping to lower the risk of people getting concurrent cases of both viruses.
Karen Hedge, National Director at Scottish Care said: “Scottish Care welcomes the announcement that social care workers will be able to access free flu jabs.
“This is something we have been in dialogue with the Scottish Government about for some time, and we consider this move to be a real step forward in recognising the critical role of skilled and valuable care staff, protecting both them and also those they support.”
Almost £4 million has been allocated by the Drug Deaths Taskforce to projects to support its work reducing harm and deaths.
The taskforce has announced the Scottish Government funding for research and front-line services to help tackle the drug deaths public health emergency over the next year:
£1 million for 10 research projects examining different approaches to tackling the public health emergency
£3 million for Scotland’s Alcohol and Drug Partnerships to deliver on the six evidence-based strategies set out by the Taskforce to reduce drug deaths and drug harms
The taskforce, which has now been operating for a year, also launched a new website to inform stakeholders, service providers, people who use drugs and their families on their work.
In addition, a new strategy to tackle stigma will encourage a more informed and compassionate approach towards people who use drugs and their families. Over its first year it has gathered evidence which shows stigma is one of the main factors preventing people from seeking treatment.
Public Health Minister Joe FitzPatrick said: “I want to thank Professor Catriona Matheson and all the members of Scotland’s Drug Deaths Taskforce for their hard work in its first year.
“This is not a problem with a quick solution and I know they have spent many hours gathering evidence about the true extent of this emergency and developing and implementing strategies to tackle it. This funding will enable it to act using what it has learned from individuals’ lived experiences.
“I’ve travelled all over the country meeting as many people who use drugs and service providers as possible and I have been told repeatedly that stigma is a real barrier to people accessing treatment.
“Stigma can come from many sources, but most damaging is self-stigma where people believe they are not worthy of support. It is costing lives every day in Scotland and I believe this new strategy will help us tackle what is undoubtedly one of the biggest challenges we face.”
Professor Catriona Matheson, Chair of the Drug Deaths Taskforce, said: “Since the taskforce first met in September 2019, we have been urgently reviewing evidence of what can best address Scotland’s unique challenge, and putting that evidence in action.
“The Annual Report details our progress in identifying critical lines of enquiry and actions to take us forward. The taskforce recognises that we all need to get away from a search for a mythical, single, magic bullet and towards a programme of implemented strategies that not only works but engenders a new level of trust, sharing and collaboration in Scotland’s key agencies. We believe in positive, sustainable change.”
