• The first vaccination against coronavirus is expected to be delivered in Scotland next month
• Health Secretary Jeane Freeman says the NHS will be ready to vaccinate people from the first week of December
• It is hoped up to one million people could be vaccinated by the end of January if there are no delays
• Frontline NHS and care workers will be among the first recipients
• Ms Freeman said distributing the vaccine would be one of "the biggest civilian logistical challenges in our lifetime"

• Governments across the UK face a "difficult balance" in easing Covid-19 restrictions for Christmas, Scotland's first minister warns

• Nicola Sturgeon took part in UK-wide talks on Wednesday as part of efforts to find a "sensible and safe plan" to lift restrictions
• Ms Sturgeon says she hopes to be able to announce further details next week
• About 2.3m people in western and central Scotland are to be subject to the top level of Covid restrictions from 18:00 tomorrow

• Also from 18:00 tomorrow, the police will be able to impose fines on people who travel in or out of level three or four areas without a reasonable excuse

You can watch the Holyrood debate on Covid-19 here. That's all from us here on the live page. Please take care and stay safe.

1. Government publishes levels decision, external

The Scottish government has published the protection levels that will apply in each local authority area in Scotland from 20 and 24 November, alongside evidence and analysis informing these decisions.

2. Download the Protect Scotland app, external from NHS Scotland

3. Test and Protect, external

If you have Covid-19 symptoms go immediately to NHS Inform online or phone 0800 028 2816 to book a test

4. NHS Inform, external

The latest from NHS Scotland and the Scottish government, including social distancing, face covering and stay at home advice.

5. The ready.scot, external website has been updated with the latest help and advice and the helpline number remains: 0800 111 4000

6. Clear Your Head, external

It's ok to not feel yourself right now, and the Scottish government has some great tips to help get you through these difficult times.

7. BBC Scotland articles:

• Level 4 lockdown to be imposed in 11 council areas

• Is your area going into the toughest level?
• Police to enforce travel ban in level 3 and 4 areas
• What are the latest lockdown rules?

That brings to an end the questions to the health secretary about the Covid-19 vaccination programme.

MSPs will now debate how best to improve youth football in Scotland

Then the Scottish government will lead a Covid-19 debate until decision time at 6.30pm.

The vaccine will offer protection, Ms Freeman says, and she calls on people not in the first wave to be patient.

The health secretary says the most vulnerable must be protected first.

Right now we must all follow the tough restrictions to protect ourselves, our loved ones and the NHS as "science itself brings us hope", she concludes.

Ms Freeman says it is not yet known which vaccines will be approved for use or when doses of the vaccines will reach us.

The details about the characteristics of the vaccines are still unknown, she stresses.

The health secretary says it may take months for the facts to be known.

The first vaccines will require two doses, three weeks apart, but we don't know yet if boosters will be required, she says.

However, the vaccines will provide some protection, even if we don't know exactly how much.

"And it will be safe," she says.

"So when we get in touch with you please go for the vaccine," says the health secretary.

The health secretary says the mass vaccination programme will be made accessible wherever you live in Scotland via a diverse workforce.

Ms Freeman tells the chamber more than 2,000 vaccinators and support staff will be needed by the end of January.

She says around a million people will be vaccinated by this time.

An agreement with the BMA has been reached about GP involvement and a wider clinical workforce is required, she says.

"This is to be one of the biggest civilian logistical challenges in our lifetime," Ms Freeman says.

She details strengthening of NHS planning teams, local authorities, local resilience teams and the military.

For those in the first wave, you will be contacted in December and January by mail or by your employer, Ms Freeman says.

After the first wave of priorities, the current advice from the JCVI is that the vaccination programme should then prioritise:

• those over 65
• those under 65 who are at additional clinical risk

"Then we move to the general population," says Ms Freeman.

This is a national vaccination plan, she adds, with guidance and workforce models and logistics all provided by the Scottish government.

NHS boards will lead local delivery, recruitment of staff and management of them, she says.

"This is a major public service exercise," she says.

The JCVI has already offered interim advice on prioritisation to be used for the early supply of the limited vaccine expected.

In the first wave of the plan for vaccine distribution from December to February, the priorities are:

• front-line health and social care staff
• older residents in care homes
• care home staff
• all those aged 80 and over
• unpaid carers and personal assistants
• those delivering the vaccination programme

Ms Freeman explains the Joint Committee for Vaccines and Immunisation (JCVI) will review all the scientific evidence before giving the vaccines a licence.

The health secretary points out there will be vaccines available from more than one manufacturer to allow as many people to be vaccinated as quickly as possible.

She highlights a number of challenges in delivering the vaccines between December and spring of next year.

She says the first vaccine has to approved and supplies delivered, for example the Pfizer vaccine has specific requirements in terms of transportation and delivery.

Deployment plans will have to factor in each vaccine's requirements.

The health secretary adds the vaccine must be used to ensure those most in need of protection get it first and this will be decided by the JCVI.

The health secretary says: "I want to be very clear to members and people across Scotland that the safety of the Covid-19 vaccine is paramount for us."

Ms Freeman adds the global community has been impressive in coming together to develop these vaccines and "it is not at the expense of safety".

The timeframe is never at the expense of safety, she says.

Ms Freeman says 4.4m in Scotland will be vaccinated, with the first delivery of vaccines expected in December.

Jeane Freeman begins her statement on the plans to deliver a programme of Covid-19 vaccination to everyone over the age of 18 in Scotland.

The health secretary refers to the good news from Pfizer last week and Moderna this week on Covid-19 vaccines.

Image source, Getty Images

The health secretary will now detail plans to distribute Covid vaccines in Scotland.

There's been more promising news on Covid vaccines today.

A team at Oxford University says trials have shown a strong immune response in older adults - raising hopes that it can protect age groups most at risk.

Two other vaccines are in the late stages of development.

In our latest round of questions, the BBC's health online editor, Michelle Roberts, has been answering questions on coronavirus vaccines after Pfizer and BioNtech and Moderna announced hugely successful trials of their vaccines in the past two weeks.

Emmanuelle Hurault has asked how we know whether the Moderna vaccine is safe to use.

Michelle says the new Moderna vaccine, like the Pfizer/BioNTech one, is still being tested in advanced clinical trials.

The data so far looks very promising, but we still need to wait for the full results of the phase three studies to be sure that both vaccines are as good as they seem to be.

Regulators will only approve them for use if the data shows they are safe and effective enough.

You can read more of your questions answered here.

The Oxford coronavirus vaccine shows a strong immune response in adults in their 60s and 70s, raising hopes that it can protect age groups most at risk from the virus.

Researchers say the Lancet phase two findings, external, based on 560 healthy adult volunteers, are "encouraging".

Read the full story here.

Prof Andrew Pollard of the Oxford Vaccine group tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme he is "absolutely delighted" by the results.

He explains that "immune responses look exactly the same" even in those over the age of 70, and is "extremely well tolerated" in those over the age of 55.

"That's absolutely great news because if it's well tolerated, that's going to really help with roll-out, should we be able to show that the vaccine actually works," he says.

If you're just joining us, there's more on the Oxford vaccine here.

There have now been more than 5,000 deaths in Scotland linked to Covid-19, according to official figures.

But what do we know of the complex picture behind this figure?

The deaths have come in two waves - the one in the spring and the one we're in right now.

In the first week of September, there were just two deaths according to the National Records of Scotland - last week there were 278 and there is no sign yet of the rate beginning to decrease.

We also know that excess deaths are high.

As of 15 November, there had been 5,738 more deaths than would normally be expected since the start of the outbreak in Scotland.

Some of the non-Covid excess deaths in the early days of the outbreak could actually have been caused by the virus, but the link was perhaps missed because there were lower levels of testing and less knowledge about the disease.

Others can be seen as indirect deaths - for example deaths from other conditions when people could not access the treatment they needed.

Read the full story here.

Dr Michael Tildesley, who sits on a sub-group of Sage, the UK government’s scientific advisory group, tells BBC Breakfast the Oxford vaccine is "going to be hopefully one of the key game changers".

He says the number of doses obtained by the UK - the government has already ordered 100 million doses - will allow the country to "hopefully reach that magic herd immunity".

He says the strong immune result in older adults is “the really key thing” for preventing deaths.

The Oxford coronavirus vaccine shows a strong immune response in adults in their 60s and 70s, raising hopes that it can protect age groups most at risk from the virus.

Researchers say the Lancet phase two findings, external, based on 560 healthy adult volunteers, are "encouraging".

They are also testing whether the vaccine stops people developing Covid-19 in larger, phase three trials.

Early results from this crucial stage are expected in the coming weeks.

Three vaccines - Pfizer-BioNTech, Sputnik and Moderna - have already reported good preliminary data from phase three trials, with one suggesting 94% of over-65s could be protected from Covid-19.

The UK has already ordered 100 million doses of the Oxford vaccine, manufactured by AstraZeneca, 40 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and five million of the Moderna vaccine.

Read the full story here.

The Oxford coronavirus vaccine shows a strong immune response in adults in their 60s and 70s, raising hopes that it can protect age groups most at risk from the virus.

Researchers say the Lancet phase two findings, external, based on 560 healthy adult volunteers, are "encouraging".

As we’ve already reported, a new study has shown positive results for a new vaccine developed in China, with a quick immune response seen during mid-stage trials of around 700 people.

There are several vaccines being developed in China, some of which are already being administered, but this latest announcement follows a string of promising vaccine news from around the world in recent days.

First, a German-US vaccine by Pfizer and BioNtech was reported to be more than 90% effective based on late-stage trials with more than 43,000 people.

Then ,US company Moderna said its vaccine showed nearly 95% efficiency, also after large late-stage trials. In both cases the results are preliminary and both vaccines have not yet been approved.

And a Russian Covid vaccine was reported to be 92% effective after trials with 16,000 volunteers. It was already granted approval for emergency use within Russia in August.

Join us for the health secretary's announcement about the distribution of vaccines around Scotland from 2.25pm.

The health secretary will later detail plans to distribute Covid vaccines in Scotland, beginning around 2.25pm this afternoon.

Meanwhile there's more promising news on covid vaccines.

A team at Oxford University says trials have shown a strong immune response in older adults - raising hopes that it can protect age groups most at risk.

Two other vaccines are in the late stages of development.

This afternoon the health secretary Jeane Freeman will detail plans to distribute jabs in Scotland. You can watch the statement live with us.