The main points from the briefing:

• 682 people tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday, 3.4% of all tests
• There are 512 patients in hospital with a confirmed case (down 13) and 38 people in intensive care (down two)
• A further 17 people who tested positive in the previous 28 days have had their deaths registered, bringing the total under the daily measurement to 7,500
• 1,844,636 people have now received their first dose of the vaccine, an increase of 18,836 since yesterday
• More than 400,000 doses are expected to be given next week

Image source, PA Media

• A national minute's silence will be held on 23 March, the anniversary of lockdown
• Jeane Freeman highlights the risks of joining a "Reclaim the Streets" vigil during the pandemic following the murder of Sarah Everard
• Rough sleepers and people in homeless accommodation will be added to the vaccine priority list
• A new service designed to identify unpaid carers and make sure they are registered for vaccinations has been set up
• Jeane Freeman says the Scottish government is "not going to move quicker to be popular"

That's all from us for this week. We will return on Monday for the daily briefing and will look forward to Tuesday and an indication of further lockdown easing from the first minister in her update statement.

Stay safe.

Following a study which suggests that vaccination of Scotland's healthcare workers has lowered the rate of infection for people they live with, Helen McArdle of The Herald asks if the health secretary would consider making the vaccine compulsory for NHS and care staff.

Ms Freeman says the uptake has been "really high".

On the issue of making vaccines compulsory, she adds: "We have always said from the outset that the vaccination programme has to be a voluntary programme and that is where we still are."

At the briefing, Jack Foster from Global asks the health secretary what her message would be to people who plan to attend vigils to highlight male violence against women, following the disappearance of Sarah Everard in London.

A Reclaim The Streets vigil is scheduled to take place at the Scottish Parliament on Saturday.

Ms Freeman says: "I am 67 years old. For 50 years as a woman I have lived a life that aims to protect and keep myself safe in a way that no man of my age ever has to do."

She adds that she remembers taking part in the Reclaim The Nights demonstrations which were "a good couple of decades ago".

Ms Freeman says: "If we weren't in the situation we are in right now then any public vigil I would certainly join. But we are not in normal times.

"And the rules are there for a reason. They are there to protect all of us from a virus that doesn't play by the rules.

"That, as soon as we come together, looks to transmit itself from one of us to the next person and, in doing that, is also given significant opportunity to mutate."

Ms Freeman says she will take her own private steps on Saturday by lighting a candle and using social media to highlight her concerns.

But she adds: "I will not join a public vigil because that risks everyone from the virus."

The new Scottish Labour Leader follows Douglas Ross on BBC One.

Anas Sarwar welcomes the addition of rough sleepers and homeless people to vaccination group 6.

He says it is important for the vaccination programme to be ramped up as supplies improve.

He adds that people want to see hope and says the way to avoid having to go into "reverse gear" is by using the vaccine programme and the test and trace system.

He adds that he doesn't think we are quite there yet.

On the BBC One programme, Scottish Conservatives Leader Douglas Ross is asked what he would like to see next in the easing of restrictions.

He says the new measures introduced today show that "the government got it wrong originally" and the overly-cautious approach was not matched by the figures.

He says he wants to see pupils back at school sooner, with all children back full time from Monday.

He adds that he would like to see Scotland making more progress and he believes the restrictions could be eased quicker.

On travel restrictions, he says he would like to see all of Scotland coming out of restrictions with parts of the central belt having been living with restrictions since October.

Back at the briefing, BBC Scotland's Aileen Clarke asks how cautious the Scottish government should be and if we are still on course to ease some of the restrictions earlier than flagged.

Ms Freeman says: "We need top be as cautious as we think necessary to ensure that when we take steps forward we don't need to take steps back."

She adds that she can think of "nothing worse" than coming out of lockdown only to go into reverse gear.

The health secretary describes the indicators as "promising" but adds: "We are by no means on a steady, progressive downward trajectory. We are not there yet."

She says it will be mid-April before all the priority groups have been vaccinated and the programme turns to the rest of the adult population.

Prof Cassell talks about the vaccination programme.

She says it is not until July that we will have vaccinated all adults with their first dose and the full protection is not there until the second dose.

She says: "We need to be living differently until we get to the point when people aren't getting sick with it. And then we need to think if the vaccines need to be updated and changed."

She advises us to continue doing the things we know are working such as washing hands, wearing masks and social distancing.

Prof Jackie Cassell, a consultant in Public Health at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, joins the BBC One coronavirus update programme.

She says there is a huge amount of evidence that outdoors is safe, pointing out that there is no ceiling and the wind blows away droplets.

She highlights a study of professional rugby players who were infected but where there was no transmission of the virus.

She goes on to say the "stay outside" message should be strong from the Scottish government going towards the summer.

Kirsty Clark, from STV, also asks Scotland's national clinical director about the Old Firm match scheduled for 21 March.

This follows reports it could be cancelled following the title celebrations by Rangers fans last week.

Prof Leitch says it is not his job to decide what reassurances should be sought from the football authorities or the clubs.

He adds that his role is to provide public health advice.

Prof Leitch says: "That public health advice is not complicated.

"It will be that everybody involved in this coalition should be as strong as they can around that guidance. That involves the Scottish government, us, telling people what that guidance should be.

"It involves the football authorities being clear. It involves the clubs being very clear. And finally it involves every single fan being clear about what they should do and following that guidance."

He adds that supporters should "celebrate at home and digitally".

Kirsty Clark from STV asks the health secretary if next week is too early to look at further lockdown easing when we don't yet know the impact that recent measures - notably the return of schools - is going to have on transmission.

Ms Freeman says the government is taking "cautious, gradual and evidence-driven steps" out of lockdown.

She adds that the data must give justification for moving forward.

On Tuesday, the first minister will set out how decisions will be made when the country comes out of level four.

Ms Freeman says: "There won't be absolute dates. There will be indicative dates."

The next point is about the slight easing of restrictions in place today and the outdoor contact that is now allowed.

Ms Freeman goes over what is now allowed and says these steps are all focused on enhancing people's wellbeing.

She mentions the return to school for more pupils on Monday and says the first minister will set out more easing in her statement on Tuesday.

She says it is all only possible if people continue to stick with the rules and continue to stay at home.

National clinical director Jason Leitch also talks about the new rules around sport and activity.

He says those aged 12 and over in Level 4 areas will now be able to take part in organised outdoor group activity of up to 15 people including two coaches, and those under 12 can resume outdoor non-contact sport.

Under 18s can also travel across local authority boundaries to attend a club.

He adds that the Sport Scotland website has been updated with all the new regulations.

Image source, Getty Images

The health secretary now turns to unpaid carers and says that not everyone who is eligible will have been identified.

So from 08:00 on Monday she confirms that a new service is being launched which will allow unpaid carers to register themselves for vaccinations.

She says: "You are eligible if you are aged between 16 and 64 and provide regular face-to-face care for a family member of friend who may have a disability, physical or mental ill health, a developmental condition, frailty or substance misuse."

Ms Freeman says the service can be accessed at www.nhsinform/carerregistrer or via calling the helpline on 0800 030 8013.

Ms Freeman says that new JCVI advice suggests the next group to be vaccinated will include rough sleepers, people in emergency accommodation and people in supported accommodation.

And she says the way vaccine uptake is reported is about to change.

From today Public Health Scotland will provide detailed statistics, including the number of first and second doses for all of the JCVI groups with a more detailed breakdown on the numbers in each group who have been vaccinated.

It will let medics see how many people have been vaccinated in specific groups eg care home staff and healthcare workers.