First Minister's Questions & reported virus cases rise

Summary

Nicola Sturgeon says there were 290 new reported cases of the virus in the last 24 hours - 112 in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board area
The R number - the rate at which the virus is infecting people - will be formally announced later, but the FM says it could be as high as 1.4. Ideally the R number should be below one
Opposition party leaders are questioning the first minister at her weekly Q&A
More than one million people have downloaded the Protect Scotland app. So far, 100 individuals have been traced
Public health officials are investigating a Covid-19 cluster at Edinburgh Napier University's Bainfield flats

Live Reporting

BBC Scotland News

290 new cases confirmed in last 24 hourspublished at 12:23 British Summer Time 17 September 2020
Breaking
Nicola Sturgeon confirms a further 290 people have tested positive for Covid-19, 4% of those newly tested yesterday.
This takes the total number of positive cases in Scotland to 23,573.
- 112 of those cases were in Greater Glasgow and Clyde
- 52 were in Lanarkshire
- 47 were in Lothian
52 people are in hospital, an increase of one, and five people are intensive care.
No deaths were registered in the last 24 hours of people who tested positive, meaning the total remains at 2,501.
First minister's questions is next...published at 12:17 British Summer Time 17 September 2020
Nicola Sturgeon will face questions from opposition party leaders shortly.
The first minister will provide MSPs with an update on the coronavirus pandemic first, getting to her feet in the chamber at 12.20pm.
Ms Sturgeon can expect questions on the outbreak at Edinburgh Napier University flats, the call for improvements in care home visiting and the new rules for meeting people.
Coronavirus in Scotland: The headlinespublished at 12:02 British Summer Time 17 September 2020
If you are just joining us, here are the headlines from around Scotland:
- Public health officials are investigating a Covid-19 cluster at Edinburgh Napier University's Bainfield flats
- More than one million people have downloaded Scotland's new contact tracing app
- Two mothers have said they were able to book Covid-19 tests in Nottingham by using a Scottish postcode amidst the backlog in tests
- Several recent cases of coronavirus in Ayrshire and Arran have been linked to house parties ignoring the guidelines
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip twitter post
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of twitter post
- Police have passed information on deaths deaths at Home Farm on Skye to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service
- Families lobbied MSPs about improving "cruel" care home visiting arrangements
- A new walk-in testing centre will open in Glasgow on Saturday, with 20 more to come across Scotland, prioritising students and then rural areas
- There were five deaths linked to Covid-19 in the last week, with one more death with a confirmed positive test in the last 24 hours
More than one million people have downloaded Protect Scotlandpublished at 11:28 British Summer Time 17 September 2020
Image source, Jeff J Mitchell
Image caption,
Nicola Sturgeon is one of more than one million people who have downloaded the Protect Scotland app.
More than one million people have downloaded Scotland's new contact tracing app since its launch last week.
Protect Scotland became available to download free on to a smart phone from Apple's App Store or Google Play on 10 September.
The app lets people know if they have been in close contact with someone who later tests positive for Covid-19.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon called on people to "keep spreading the word" about the app.
The Scottish government has said the software will support the Test and Protect system and is "another tool" in the fight against the virus.
Up until now, contact tracing has been done manually using a method followed for years to help control the spread of infectious diseases.
- Read more here
Cluster probe at student accommodation in Edinburghpublished at 11:24 British Summer Time 17 September 2020
Image source, Google
Public health officials are investigating a Covid-19 cluster at university student accommodation.
NHS Lothian said a number of people have tested positive at Edinburgh Napier University's Bainfield flats.
The board's health protection team is tracing contacts and advising them to self-isolate for 14 days but has stressed the university remains open.
No further details will be released to protect patient confidentiality.
Read more here.
Good morningpublished at 10:41 British Summer Time 17 September 2020
Good morning and welcome to BBC Scotland's live page coverage of first minister's questions.
Nicola Sturgeon will provide an update on the coronavirus pandemic when she gets to her feet at Holyrood from 12.20pm.
She can expect questions on care homes, the new rules for meeting people and the backlog on testing.