Thursday's coronavirus briefing key points

• A further 175 cases of Covid-19 confirmed in Scotland, including 80 in Greater Glasgow and Clyde area
• That represents 2.7% of those tested. There have been no new reported deaths of people with a positive test
• FM says cases in Lanarkshire area - up 39 in 24 hours - are causing "particular concern"
• She re-emphasises new limit of six people from two households allowed to meet in Scotland from Monday and asks people to start observing this from this weekend
• Nicola Sturgeon urges the public to download the new government coronavirus tracing app which she describes as an "enhancement" to existing systems
• Interim Deputy Chief Medical officer Dr Nicola Steedman says there are "two very good candidate vaccines" being evaluated
• The FM says daily live TV briefings "more important not less important"

That's it for today's live page coverage of the briefing - stay safe.

Image source, Getty Images

Referring to an issue raised by Edward Mountain at FMQs regarding delays in care home testing in Grantown, Moray, Mark McLaughlin from the Times says this was due to UK government tests being sent to a lab in Inverness which could not analyse them. He asks if this is an issue across Scotland.

The first minster says “it is not her understanding” that there is a general problem with NHS hospital labs testing UK government tests.

She says the health secretary will look into the issue and Ms Sturgeon will check if there is an update after the briefing.

Dr Steedman says a “variety of tests are available” and different labs use different tests.

Tom Martin, of The Daily Express, asks about the rationale behind the latest limits on households meeting.

Nicola Sturgeon says that "in some ways the household limit is more important than the overall number limit".

The first minister explained that having multiple households mixing increases the chance of infections spreading faster.

If people from six households meet up and all are infected, the virus has spread to six households, but if only two households are present, the virus is less widely dispersed, she explains.

Dr Nicola Steedman, the interim Deputy Chief Medical Officer, said the changes were needed as Scotland was entering a "pivotal time".

"We need to reverse this," she added.

Image source, Reuters

Interim Deputy Chief Medical officer Dr Steedman says there are "two very good candidate vaccines" being evaluated and the amounts and type of vaccine given to Scotland will determine who gets it first.

She added there is “really good advice” in the UK on prioritising vaccine provision from the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations, which will assess evidence “very specifically.”

She said it will always be based on scientific evidence and aimed at helping the largest amount of vulnerable people possible.

Image source, Underbelly

The Telegraph's Daniel Sanderson says “a lot of people are worried” about what the new rules mean for Christmas and asks what the first minister's message is for people who may have to choose which children to invite, and whether she would consider a Christmas exemption.

The FM says, in the context of a pandemic, three months is a long time and it is not possible to make predictions.

She adds: “Every fibre of my being would love to look down this camera and say ‘don’t worry about Christmas’”

Dr Steedman says the important thing is that what people do now will determine how many restrictions are in place by Christmas.

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Scott Macnab, of The Scotsman, asks about how long working from home where possible will be the Scottish government’s recommendation.

The first minister described it as one of “many trade offs” the country has had to undertake and it said it remains the default position and to “prepare for that being so for some time”.

Dr Nicola Steedman, the interim Deputy Chief Medical Officer, added it was likely to stay this way for “the near future”.

Neil Pooran from the Press Association asks if there have been further discussions between the UK and Scottish governments regarding the plan to roll out rapid testing, known as Operation Moonshot, and if the first minister believes it is feasible to have a mass programme by Christmas.

The first minister says the Scottish government is "engaging with the UK government on an ongoing basis” but warns that the science on mass, rapid testing is "not quite there yet".

Dr Steedman says some aspects of Operation Moonshot, such as enhanced case finding, are already being done in Scotland.

She says "absolutely we are round the table" and in discussion with the UK government but warns against distraction from day-to-day work to suppress the virus.

Phil McDonald, of Global Radio, asked about concerns that people without smart phones or the latest versions of them will not be able to access the app.

Nicola Sturgeon said these concerns "would be more valid if the app was the totality of our test and trace system".

Image source, PA Media

The first minister said the app should be thought of as an "enhancement" to what is already in place.

She added: "If you can’t use the app for whatever reason our test and protect system is still there to protect you."

The BBC’s David Wallace Lockhart asks if it is hard to convince the public to follow the rules after six months with “little or no reward”, and also asks how the FM would like to see furlough extended so that “tax payers’ money is used effectively”.

Image source, Getty Images

Ms Sturgeon says she is open to discussion on what form an extension to furlough takes but warns that if it is ended there will be a “wave of redundancies” which she clams will cost more money in the long-run than an extension to the scheme.

She also says she would “challenge very strongly” the idea that people have followed the rules for no benefit, saying the virus has been driven to a low level by compliance over the summer.

Dr Steedman says she would also challenge the assertion that there has been no rewards, saying many lives had been saved and that there have been no “steps backward”.

Ross Govans from STV asks for more information on the possibility of new restrictions in Lanarkshire, and if the FM is worried about “fatigue” over rules in the population and whether this could affect compliance.

Ms Sturgeon says she cannot give more information on Lanarkshire at the moment, however she says it is “possible” that today or over the weekend more restrictions for Lanarkshire may become necessary.

Image source, Getty Images

On compliance, the FM says she has “worried since day one” that the public wouldn’t follow the rules because the public are being asked to do “extraordinary” things.

She acknowledges it is getting more difficult and admits to feeling this herself, however she emphasises “ we are in a stronger position that we were in March”.

Image source, Scottish government

Dr Steedman said the app being used in Scotland was modelled on one in use in Northern Ireland and has been developed with privacy concerns in mind.

The app is only available on modern smart phones but Dr Steedman said it, "didn't need the whole population to download the app to benefit from it."

She added: "Even if you can't download it then enough of us doing so will help drive down transmission rates overall and that means everyone, even those who cant use the app, will benefit from the collective protection it offers."

Dr Nicola Steedman, the interim Deputy Chief Medical Officer, has set out the potential gains from the new tracing app.

Dr Steedman said a study in the United States found that if if only 15% of the population participate in such an initiative then it could reduce infections by 8% and deaths by 6%.

The Scottish government official said the app was "another tool to add to our armoury against Covid" and a chance for ordinary people to contribute to the collective effort against the virus.

The first minster ends her opening statement by asking the public to follow the new rules on households meeting before they officially come into force on Monday.

"Please stick to the new rules of six people and two households," she says

"Don't wait until Monday. Do that now."

Image source, Getty Images

Nicola Sturgeon warns that the average number of cases in Scotland has been “more than trebling every three weeks”.

That’s why action is required to prevent virus transmission, she says.

The first minister says a key aim is to keep the virus at low enough levels to keep schools open. This is the rationale behind kids being allowed to socialise at school with many fewer restrictions.

Nicola Sturgeon turns to the new “rule of six” which changes the maximum number of people who can meet indoors and outdoors, saying the government believes it is necessary.

She explains that children under the age of 12 do not count towards the limit if they do not add a third household.

Image source, Getty Images

However, she said that the government is seeking “additional expert advice” to see if children could be exempt from the two household rule.

This would allow children's birthday parties to go ahead as long as adults comply with the rules.

Image source, Scottish government

The first minister said Scotland's new contact tracing app was a "really important way" of supporting the test and protect system.

Ms Sturgeon thanked people who have already downloaded the system which lets people know if they have been in close contact with someone who later tests positive.

She said it would be "particularly useful" for tracing people who have used public transport and "very valuable" to students arriving back at university and college.

As many people as possible downloading the app makes it increasingly useful, she added.