Covid Scotland RECAP: Nicola Sturgeon tells Scots to remain vigilant despite decline in cases | Scottish Government urges JCVI not to rule out vaccinating teenagers | Latest figures for Scotland show 13 coronavirus deaths | Dominic Cummings to give tell-all interview

The latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic from Scotland and around the world.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is set to give a coronavirus update on Tuesday.First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is set to give a coronavirus update on Tuesday.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is set to give a coronavirus update on Tuesday.

Scroll down for the latest updates.

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Covid Scotland: The latest pandemic updates on Tuesday, July 20

Key Events

  • Scotland records 13 Covid deaths and 1,604 positive cases
  • Children over 12 at increased risk from Covid to be vaccinated
  • Level 0 restrictions in Scotland explained

Scottish Government urges JCVI not to rule out vaccinating all teenagers

Vaccinating all younger teenagers against coronavirus should not be ruled out, Nicola Sturgeon has said, with Scotland’s top doctor set to write to the UK’s vaccine body urging it to keep the issue under review.

The First Minister said Scotland’s chief medical officer Dr Gregor Smith will be writing to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to highlight the benefits of vaccinating everyone over the age of 12.

The JCVI has ruled out mass vaccination of healthy children for now but has updated its advice to enable 12 to 15-year-olds with specific underlying health conditions to receive the Pfizer vaccination.

Those aged 12 to 17 who live with an immunosuppressed person, such as a parent or grandparent, should also be offered a Covid vaccine.

But speaking during a Scottish Government Covid-19 briefing, Ms Sturgeon said it is “extremely important” that vaccinating all 12-17-year-olds is not ruled out entirely.

“To that end, the chief medical officer is writing to the JCVI asking that the benefit of vaccinating all 12-17-year-olds is kept under close and ongoing review and that it takes account of all available data from countries already doing this,” the First Minister said.

“I think that is really important – if there is a benefit to be got from vaccinating younger teenagers then its really important to make sure that young people don’t lose out on that.”

Downing Street has not ruled out extending the mandatory use of vaccine passports to pubs.

Boris Johnson’s official spokesman said: “The Prime Minister talked about the sort of areas we were considering, and nightclubs are where there is significant evidence we have at the moment.

“But we’re going to use the coming weeks to look at the evidence, particularly both in the UK and globally before making a specific decision.”

Scotland’s top doctor will write to the UK’s vaccine body, urging them to keep teenage vaccination under review.

Speaking at the coronavirus briefing in Edinburgh on Tuesday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she considered it “extremely important” that vaccinating 12-17-year-olds is not ruled out entirely.

“To that end, the chief medical officer is writing to the (Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations) asking that the benefit of vaccinating all 12-17-year-olds is kept under close and ongoing review and that it takes account of all available data from countries already doing this,” the First Minister said.

“I think that is really important – if there is a benefit to be got from vaccinating younger teenagers then its really important to make sure that young people don’t lose out on that.”

For as long as people don’t take up the vaccine, there will be a vulnerability to Covid-19, Nicola Sturgeon has said.

The First Minister urged all young people to get the vaccine, after recent figures showed of people in the 30-39 age group just 81% have received their first dose, while the number is only 70% in the 18-29-year-old bracket.

“To put it bluntly, each and every young person who gets jagged helps us take a step back to normality, and of course the converse of that is true,” Ms Sturgeon said.

“For as long as there remains a proportion of eligible people who have not had the vaccine that leaves us with a vulnerability against the virus.”

Nicola Sturgeon “To put it bluntly, each and every person who gets jagged helps us take a step back to normality.”

Nicola Sturgeon has urged Scots to remain vigilant about Covid-19.

Scotland moved to Level 0 on Monday, but the First Minister said case numbers were “higher than we should be comfortable with”.

Speaking at the coronavirus briefing in Edinburgh, she said: “Vigilance and care remain very important.

“Restrictions were eased yesterday as part of a gradual process, but restrictions were not abandoned yesterday.

“Important measures and mitigations do remain in place and we continue to ask people across the country, and I do so again today, to treat the threat that Covid poses seriously at this stage.”

Nicola Sturgeon: “All adults have now been offered first dose appointments - indeed, that has happened earlier than we initially anticipated. And around 90% of all adults have taken up the opportunity and had the first jag administered.”

Nicola Sturgeon: “All adults have now been offered first dose appointments - indeed, that has happened earlier than we initially anticipated. And around 90% of all adults have taken up the opportunity and had the first jag administered.”