When will vaccine passport show my booster? Your Covid questions answered

BBC Scotland has been asking what you want to know about Covid passports, lateral flow tests and the latest coronavirus update.

We have received more than 400 questions on the subject.

Our Your Questions Answered team have tackled some of the most common queries, with assistance from Scotland's clinical director, Jason Leitch, and from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's statement to the Scottish Parliament.

When will vaccine passports show the booster jag? David, Falkirk

Last Friday, the UK Department of Health and Social Care announced that the third dose of a Covid vaccine would now be included in the NHS Covid Pass in England.

This was to enable those who have had their booster or third dose to travel to countries - including Israel, Croatia and Austria - who have already introduced a time limit for the Covid-19 vaccine to be valid for quarantine-free travel.

Booster shots will show up automatically in the digital Covid Pass for holders in England from 19 November. In Wales passes will be updated from 29 November.

The NHS Scotland app currently does not show a third dose, but at her Covid update on Tuesday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said work was ongoing to include boosters in the vaccine status.

I was vaccinated in another part of the UK - will my details be accepted in Scotland? Colin, South Lanarkshire

Colin is concerned his vaccine details won't be accepted in Scotland when he goes out over the festive period.

According to the Scottish government website, people who live elsewhere in the UK can provide confirmation they are are fully vaccinated in one of these ways:

• using the NHS App (England or Wales)

• using Covid NI (Northern Ireland)

• using a paper letter of certification, issued by England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Jersey or Guernsey

All of these options have QR codes which can be scanned to verify that the certificate is a genuine certificate.

The apps all have security features in them that respond to movement of the phone, so that staff checking certificates can see it is a "live" code and not a screenshot "borrowed" from someone else.

Paper letters from the NHS contain special thermochromatic ink that shows as a holographic image on a genuine certificate, and changes to the word "copy" on a photocopied certificate.

Certificates with the word "copy" on them won't be accepted.

How can people from abroad prove their status when visiting Scotland? Louise, Edinburgh

Businesses in Scotland can also accept proof of vaccination from members of the EU Digital Covid Certificate Scheme. The EU scheme currently includes all EU Member States plus an additional 16 countries and territories.

For countries outside the UK and the EU, certification rules for international visitors will align with the current border rules - that means visitors from other nations, such as the US, should provide the same proof of vaccination status that they showed for entry into the UK.

The letter and app on your mobile device will contain a QR code which you will be able to present to the venue who will carry out a visual check or scan the code with a verifier app to confirm the record is authentic.

All the details on the Scottish vaccine certification scheme are here.

How do you get a vaccine passport if you don't have a smartphone? My elderly father does not own one. Charles, Glasgow

If you are resident in Scotland, you can download the NHS Scotland COVID Status App free to a smartphone.

This will allow access to a digital copy of your vaccine record on your mobile device. You need a passport or driver's licence to complete the identity check.

If you don't have a smartphone, or don't have a passport or a driver's licence, then you can request a paper copy of your vaccine certificate from NHS Inform.

Then you can use use a downloadable PDF on your phone or keep a printed copy with you.

Where do I get lateral flow tests from? Nicky, Dunfermline

From 6 December, a negative lateral flow test is an alternative for the Covid passport for those who can't have the vaccine.

Here's where you can get hold of free lateral flow tests:

• order online at gov.scot

• phone the National Testing Centre on 0300 303 2713

• collect from a Covid testing centre between 3.30pm and 8pm

• collect from some pharmacies - find your nearest testing centre or participating pharmacy

If you need some help on how do the test, have a look at the BBC video above.

Could Scottish travel restrictions change or become tighter? What does this winter look like compared to last year and how close are we to lockdown like in Europe? Rachel, Bathgate

The Scottish government's clinical director, Prof Jason Leitch, helped with this one.

He said: "We can't rule out more safety measures but we're very hopeful that what we have in place will manage the virus over the winter period. We need everyone's help to do that.

"Our message is simple: get vaccinated, test when going anywhere and follow the hygiene rules like face coverings etc. That way will avoid what we're seeing across Europe."

Why are the Scottish government not including recently recovered from Covid as a status? And when should we start testing with lateral flow tests after testing positive for the virus? Sarah, Dundee

Prof Leitch tells us this is coming.

"We are working on adding recovery to the Covid certification scheme," he says.

And he added: "You should avoid testing for 90 days following a positive PCR test."

What was behind the decision not to extend the vaccine passport system? David, Stirling

Nicola Sturgeon said that although the situation was currently "precarious", cases were stable and slightly declining.

The Scottish government thinks that the impact vaccine certification has on the operation of businesses means that, at this stage, extension would not be proportionate.

She also said she was mindful of the need to get the message across in the coming weeks that it is important to be vaccinated and tested ahead of socialising in any setting - including in homes and shopping centres, for example - not just in those that might be covered by a certification scheme.

Will schools be able to have Nativity plays this year?

Conservative MSP Maurice Golden asked the first minister during her Covid update if she would lift last year's ban on Christmas shows.

Ms Sturgeon said that the guidance around schools was kept under review and decisions are based on the "best available" information from the education advisory sub-group.

The current guidance advises that festive shows can take place but there should not be a live audience.

But the first minister said schools were making alternative arrangements for shows to be available to parents.

What are the benefits of the vaccine passport scheme and what's the evidence that it works? Andrew, Aberdeen

Ms Sturgeon answered this in her statement to Holyrood. She said when they first launched the scheme, one of its primary objectives was to help drive up vaccination rates, which it did. She said that Scotland was the most vaccinated nation in the UK for first, second and booster doses.

She said that actual and projected uptake rates meant experts judged it was now possible to include testing, and that greater use of lateral flow testing will help wider efforts to stem transmission.

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