It is understood the First Minister is due to speak about track and trace delays.

The number of deaths linked to Covid-19 in India crossed the grim milestone of 400,000 as 853 fatalities were reported in the 24 hours ending Friday morning.

Half of the 400,000 deaths were reported during the second wave of the pandemic that overwhelmed India’s healthcare system, according to Reuters. Its tally also showed the last 100,000 were added in just 39 days.

With 46,617 new cases, India’s overall caseload now stands at 30.45 million.

Holyrood will consider whether to double the Carer’s Allowance Supplement given to unpaid carers at the end of the year.

The Parliament’s Social Justice and Social Security Committee is considering increasing the £231.40 paid twice a year to unpaid carers by doubling it when it is awarded in December.

The committee is seeking views on a Carer’s Allowance Supplement (Scotland) Bill that would give the Scottish Government the power to increase the payments in future.

Committee convener Neil Gray said it is looking at ways to ease the economic harm caused by the pandemic that has affected many of the 83,000 carers who currently receive the supplement.

Appealing for feedback from carers and other support groups about the proposal, Mr Gray said: “The devastation caused by Covid has been felt throughout our towns and communities.

“It has been hard for people in so many ways, and it is important that those most affected are recognised and offered the support they need.

“This Bill wants to address some of the extra burden unpaid carers have taken on by increasing the level of the Carer’s Support Allowance. But what impact would this have on those facing unimaginable hardship as a result of Covid?

“We want to hear from those working closely with carers about what this will mean in practice and whether the additional payment is the most appropriate way to support unpaid carers.

“We also want to learn whether people think the Scottish Government should have more flexibility to change this payment in the future.”

There are estimated to be around 690,000 unpaid carers across Scotland, although the Government says about 83,000 are eligible for the allowance.

Scientists on the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) have sounded a note of caution over children aged 12 and over being given the jag, amid concerns that the risks of side effects could outweigh the benefits of being protected against a disease that barely affects them.

A senior member of the JCVI said that the panel will announce whether to recommend the jabs for secondary school age children within “weeks”.

Read more here.

Nicola Sturgeon is going to update the country on the coronavirus pandemic today following the news that Scotland exceeded 4,000 new cases on Thursday – a record high.

The First Minister’s announcement is expected to begin shortly after midday and follows the news that yesterday Scotland recorded the highest daily number of coronavirus cases on record.

When is the announcement and how can I watch?

The First Minister’s update is not in Parliament and is therefore expected to begin just after 12pm on Friday.

Tuesday’s update was delayed due to Ms Sturgeon meeting with The Queen at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.

The announcement will be broadcast by the BBC and also streamed on The Scotsman and the Scottish Government Twitter feed.

The Scotsman also stream updates live on the website and via this blog.

The rise in positive coronavirus tests in Scotland is “very clearly” linked to Scotland fans travelling to London for the Euro 2020 match against England, a public health expert has said.

Martin McKee, professor of European public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said the spike in positive cases “coincides very much” with the incubation period of the virus after the match at Wembley on Friday June 18, which finished 0-0.

He was asked if the Euros tournament was “acting as some kind of super-spreader with the number of fans that have been travelling around the continent”.

Prof McKee told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme on Friday: “I think you in Scotland know very clearly that that is the case.

“We also have another example of Finnish fans who went to one of the Euros matches and 300 of them were infected.

“We can see very clearly in the Scottish data, because the increase coincides very much with what you would expect with the incubation period after the match but also the gender difference, because the cases, the increases seem much greater in men than in women.

“So I think when you put those two together it’s pretty clear that’s what’s been happening.”

READ MORE HERE