Nicola Sturgeon says that 80% of new cases are being recorded in people under the age of 44
But the first minister told a special briefing that although there have been 3,118 new cases, early data indicates that infection rates are slowing
Her statement and Q&A comes as the Delta variant - first identified in India - continues to surge in parts of the country
Ahead of the briefing it was announced that travel restrictions from Scotland to Manchester, Salford and Bolton would be lifted on Wednesday
However, the ban on non-essential travel to the area of Blackburn with Darwen will remain in place
Currently there are 215 positive patients in hospital, with 20 of those in ICU. One further death linked to coronavirus has been registered
Earlier, Health Secretary Humza Yousaf told the BBC that despite current case numbers there was no plan to re-impose restrictions
Image source, ReutersMs Sturgeon says that in recent days the number of new cases has been higher than at any point in the pandemic.
The first minister points out the peak was last Tuesday with a slowing down in the increase in cases since then.
She also says at the start of the year the lockdown was far stricter.
Without vaccination there would be far higher case numbers, she says.
The first minister gets the briefing under way by summarising today's statistics, which we published earlier.
Nicola Sturgeon also outlines the latest developments with the vaccination programme.
Ms Sturgeon says today's case numbers reinforce the pattern which has been seen over the past week, with a much faster rate of cases.
Image source, ReutersNicola Sturgeon will now lead the Covid-19 briefing with Chief Medical Officer Dr Gregor Smith.
In the past hour, the Scottish government has announced the end of a ban on travel to Manchester and other parts of England.
The restriction was introduced on 21 June, sparking a row between First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
Mr Burnham accused Ms Sturgeon of "hypocrisy" for imposing the ban without any consultation.
He also pointed out that parts of Scotland had higher Covid rates than Manchester.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said the measure - and one concerning travel to Bolton announced in May - is to be lifted from midnight after a "careful review of the data".
As of 07:30 today, 3,781,887 people had received their first dose of the vaccine, an increase of 16,508 since yesterday.
In addition, 9,420 received their second dose.
Overall, a total of 2,701,195 people have now received second doses.
A further 3,118 people have tested positive for Covid-19, which is 11.6% of tests carried out yesterday.
The total number of positive cases in Scotland is now 277,335.
There are 215 people in hospital, which is up 13 on yesterday.
There are 20 people in intensive care, which is the same.
And one death has been registered in the past 24 hours of people who tested positive in the last 28 days.
That means the total number of deaths by that measure is 7,713.
Lisa Summers
BBC Scotland Health Correspondent
Scotland may no longer be competing in the Euros, but we are top of one league - with the highest case rate of all the UK nations.
The biggest group testing positive is young men and there are suggestions the football is to blame. This could account for some cases, but public health officials report outbreaks at weddings, workplaces, schools, and a whole variety of settings.
It doesn't feel like we are winning the race against the virus. The weekly average is now higher than it was in the January peak. Back then, lockdown measures were in place to bring those numbers down. But now, with people free to mix, the risk is that the only way for the numbers to go is up.
In the long term we may need to get used to having high case numbers. The key is having trust that the vaccines will do their job, limiting the numbers of people that get seriously ill and need hospital treatment.
But there are still plenty of people to get their first jag. It's a delicate time and again, we're being asked not to drop our guard.
Image source, Getty ImagesMr Yousaf said young men travelling and gathering indoors to watch Euro 2020 matches was "high risk"
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf has said no further restrictions are planned for Scotland despite an ongoing surge in Covid cases.
Mr Yousaf told the BBC he did not believe cases would reach 100,000 per week - a prediction modelled by scientists in a worst case scenario.
A further 3,285 people tested positive on Monday, a new record high.
While there was a "weakening" link between cases and serious illness, Mr Yousaf said numbers could keep rising.
Scottish government scientists believe the 100,000 cases per week figure could be reached by mid-July.
Image source, PA MediaA further 3,285 cases of Covid-19 were recorded in Scotland on Monday, setting another new record for the number of positive tests.
A total of 12.6% of those tested for the virus were positive. No deaths were recorded, although registration offices are generally closed over the weekend.
The previous highest number was the 2,999 cases reported last Thursday.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the "steep rise" in cases showed that people should be "really careful".
Good afternoon and welcome to BBC Scotland's live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic update from the first minister.
Nicola Sturgeon is due to begin at 2.30pm and will be accompanied by Chief Medical Officer Dr Gregor Smith.
You can watch the first minister's statement in full here with us on this live page.