Here's what happened at the first minister's briefing:

• There are 2,802 newly confirmed cases (8% of all tests carried out)
• There are now 401 people in hospital (a rise of 14)
• Four more ICU patients are being treated, a total of 38
• Four further deaths have been recorded
• A total of 3,900,864 people have now received the first dose of the vaccine, 10,688 more since yesterday
• A further 16,984 have received the second dose, bringing that total to 2,825,886

• Nicola Sturgeon says there appears to be a "slow down" in the seven-day average and that cases are levelling off
• She says young people who have not been double vaccinated cannot be treated like "guinea pigs"
• A statement to MSPs is due on Tuesday and it is hoped to proceed with Scotland's move to level 0 but Ms Sturgeon warned decisions may not be binary and some measures may be added or removed
• A review of self isolation rules may be announced on Tuesday
• Decisions on measures on schools may take longer as ministers monitor the situation
• Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie says he is "dismayed" that the first minister has not addressed the worsening pressure on hospitals immediately

That's all from the live team for today. We will be back with the coronavirus statement on Tuesday. Until then, take care.

Lisa Summers
BBC Scotland Health Correspondent

Hospitals are under pressure but it is different this time. Despite soaring case numbers, far fewer people are ending up in hospital with Covid. There's also some evidence that they don't need treatment for as long.

But hospitals are busier now than last year when many other procedures were postponed.

Health boards say the numbers of non-Covid patients they are seeing over summer is equivalent to that usually experienced in the busier winter months. Figures from Public Health Scotland show emergency departments faced their busiest ever May, with more than 112,563 attendances.

Add into that fewer available beds because of distancing requirements, juggling staff leave, staff sickness and self-isolation, and the already high vacancy rates in some areas. It doesn't take much before hospitals are at full stretch.

As ever, the NHS has to prioritise those most in need of treatment and that means some are already having to postpone non-urgent surgery.

The major burden on the NHS during this wave may turn out not to be Covid patients themselves but the wider impacts of the whole pandemic.

Back on the BBC Scotland programme, Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie says he fears for the NHS and other essential services this weekend as huge numbers of staff are "stuck at home" in self-isolation.

He says there was nothing from the first minister to indicate that anything was being done to address this.

He says there must be an urgent change in approach or the "hospitals will keel over".

He says it is going to be a bleak weekend and he is dismayed by the response by the first minister.

He says no change is not an option and means more hospitals being overwhelmed and wants the system of self isolation for staff to be changed.

Asked at the briefing about whether the wearing of face masks will continue after 9 August, Dr Gregor Smith says he believes this is a "collective social responsibility".

He says that, for him personally, he will continue to wear a face mask in settings where there are large groups of people and where it could help make others feel "more comfortable".

The first minister also says she personally backs the wearing of face masks if it enables other restrictions to ease.

Marc Ellison
Data journalist, BBC Scotland

Image source, PA Media

An increasing number of health boards are saying that drastic measures may be needed in light of a surge in coronavirus cases.

Is this reflected in the latest official data? In a word, no.

Unlike the Covid-specific data sets, which only lag by a few days, the current figures on A&E activity , externaland admissions , externalonly take us up to 27 June.

So what, if any, warning signs were there in the data of mounting pressure on boards and their hospitals?

NHS Lanarkshire said this week that it had seen "unprecedented levels" of attendance, external at A&E departments. But the data shows that attendance was down at all three of the board’s hospitals by an average of 9% between the 6 and 27 June.

In fact, people going to A&E only increased slightly at some hospitals such as Shetland’s Gilbert Bain Hospital (4%).

So what about pressure on planned operations?

NHS Grampian said this week that Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI) and Dr Gray's Hospital in Moray had postponed all non-urgent procedures.

But again the data is limited and only gives us a snapshot in time.

All we know, for example, is that by the end of May ARI saw an increase of 15% in cancellations related to capacity.

Boards have also blamed staff absences - due to self-isolation requirements and summer holidays - for the mounting pressure on their resources. The Scottish Government does record and publish, external this daily, but not at a board level

However, we can still see that staff absences more than doubled from 1,238 to 2,760 between 1 June and 6 July.

So essentially while data sets do exist, they lag too far behind to give us a real-time picture.

Image source, Getty Images

Tory MSP Craig Hoy calls today a "missed opportunity" for the first minister to give clarity to the public and businesses.

He says the first minister stating that dates are not set in stone does not help people's business, holiday or wedding plans.

He says the statement next week will only give six days' notice which is "not good enough".

He says one thing that was missing from her statement was any discussion around Test and Protect. He says that if we do not ensure the system is working, it will undermine the public's trust and affect the ability to move to Level 0.

He says the system should be able to be scaled up. And targets of the WHO should be able to be met.

At the briefing, the first minister is asked whether she is concerned about reports of people being "less willing" to comply with the contact tracing system.

Ms Sturgeon refers to her points about how the government is looking at whether the vaccination programme allows for a different approach.

She says she is "not hugely concerned" at the moment but does not want to see a reduction in isolation because of its impact on individuals and businesses.

"We have to recognise the impact on people and businesses and make sure the approaches we’re taking are effective in practice," she adds.

Back in the BBC studio, Dr Tait-Burkhard reacts to the briefing.

She says it is very likely that after 9 August when restrictions are lifted, mask-wearing may become voluntary if case numbers allow. But she says it is advised because these measures will still help us through the winter flu season.

She also says there is a chance we could see further variants. However, she adds that we will have a baseline immunity to new variants.

She says she is hopeful the vaccines we have at the moment will be able to be adapted so we are not starting from scratch as we were last year.

The first minister is asked whether Scotland is on course to move beyond level zero on 9 August.

She says she is "more optimistic" about the 19 July easing of restrictions this week than she was this time last week because she believes we're seeing the increase in cases "slowing down".

That said, she wants to "look carefully" at case rates between now and Tuesday before making a final decision.

She says she also wants to make sure cases plateau after 19 July before further restrictions are eased.

Further to her response to the BBC question, Ms Sturgeon says she will set out information on schools on Tuesday but not all details may be given then.

She says ministers are giving themselves longer to come to decisions on schools, but that details will come in plenty of time for the new school term in August.

She says it is right to wait, in light of the case numbers slowing.

David Shanks from the BBC asks about hospitals declaring "code black" and restricting elective surgery.

He asks what level of hospitalisations or deaths is the government willing to accept while unlocking.

He also asks about decisions on changes to self-isolation and school bubbles.

Ms Sturgeon says she "does not accept as inevitable" any number of deaths or hospitalisations.

She says she wants to minimise the impact of the virus in all ways and she wants to get to the end point with as few people falling ill from the virus as possible.

She says we should be clear the link between cases and people needing hospital care is weakened, not broken.

Image source, Reuters

The first minister is asked about whether double vaccinations could affect self isolation rules, both for NHS workers and people returning to Scotland from amber list countries.

Ms Sturgeon reiterates that the government is "currently reviewing" the policy about self isolation for Covid contacts and will possibly set out intentions in her statement to parliament next Tuesday.

She says the government is considering this "in general terms but also in relation to particular occupations" - but adds that we "need to be careful" about scrapping the measure.

Again, she says she is "carefully" considering the rules around quarantine for those returning to Scotland from amber list countries and will come to a decision on this "fairly soon" after looking at the UK government's position.

Image source, Science Photo Library

Ms Sturgeon ends by reiterating what people can do to help get back to normality as quickly as possible.

She says we have reason to be optimistic but we must be careful and cautious.

She asks people to:

• Get vaccinated - if over 18s have not been contacted for a first dose they can register online and turn up to drop-in clinics in every health board area.
• Test yourself regularly, especially before going somewhere. Lateral flow tests are available through the NHS website and local pharmacies.
• Stick to the rules and follow basic hygiene measures. Meet outdoors, keep indoor areas well ventilated and continue regular handwashing.

The first minister says she will make a statement to parliament next Tuesday.

She says she will set out her decision on whether, or to what extent, the move to Level 0 will proceed.

She adds that these decisions will not always be binary and may proceed with some planned changes and a holding back of others.

But she "very much hopes" to go ahead with the 19 July changes and will monitor the cases closely.

She says the slowing of case numbers is encouraging and understands people's desire to reach Scotland's "Freedom Day".

Ms Sturgeon adds that a move to Level 0 does not mean an immediate stop to mitigation measures and says that the basic measures will exist for some time yet.

Image source, Getty Images

The first minister says young people who have not been double vaccinated cannot be treated like "guinea pigs" as restrictions ease.

While the majority of cases appear in younger people, she says there could still be a significant health impact, for example for those suffering from long Covid.

She also says the virus is still "potentially dangerous", in that it is still taking lives and piling pressure on the NHS which is attempting to clear a backlog of appointments and procedures built over the course of the pandemic.

This means there is an ongoing need for caution, she adds.

Ms Sturgeon says that currently about 3% of cases will end up in hospital, compared with 13% earlier in the year but that 3% of a high number is still a high number that can put pressure on our NHS.

She says this is already being felt in the NHS.

She says hospitals are still catching up on the backlog from previous months and mentions the hospitals which have already cancelled elective surgery.

She pays tribute to those working hard in the NHS.

Nicola Sturgeon starts with a "reflection on our current situation".

She says optimism over the vaccine programme needs to be balanced with concern at recent high case numbers.

But she says there appears to be a "slow down" in the seven-day average and cases are levelling off.

She says the desire to live with the virus does not mean we can "throw all caution to the wind".

She says although the majority of cases are now in young people, the effects can still be significant.

She says young people "cannot be guinea pigs".

A total of 3,900,864 people have now received the first dose of the vaccine, an increase of 10,688 since yesterday.

A further 16,984 have received the second dose, with this total at 2,825,886.

The first minister begins by delivering the latest Covid statistics:

• 2,802 positive cases reported since yesterday, representing 8% of tests carried out
• 306,449 total cases
• 401 people are in hospital, 14 more than yesterday
• 38 are in ICU, an increase of four
• A further four deaths have been reported following a positive test
• There have been 7,744 total deaths under this measurement

Infection and immunity expert Dr Christine Tait-Burkhard tells the BBC Scotland channel that the rising daily figures are actually encouraging.

She says that week-on-week the numbers are at least level if not declining. She adds that the school holidays are helping with both children and parents mixing less. She thinks this will help bring infection numbers down.

She believes Level 0 will still be introduced on 19 July but that measures such as face coverings will remain.

Speaking on Boris Johnson's plans for lifting all restrictions for England she says people may think the pandemic is over and feels we still need "strong guidance" on measures for crowded spaces.