Increase in Covid cases could be linked to schools returning, admits Sturgeon

Nicola Sturgeon said there is no room for complacency after a slight increase in coronavirus cases following the return of children to schools in Scotland.

Speaking during the Scottish Government's daily briefing on Monday, she said she could not rule out the possibility that a rise in cases over the last week was linked to the return of schooling.

Children in P1-P3 returned to Scotland's schools on February 22. On Monday, they were joined by classmates in P4-P7, with secondary school pupils returning to in-class learning part time.

Ms Sturgeon added that the link between schools partially re-opening and the uptick in cases can't be ruled out because "we know that when schools open there is just a little bit more movement generally as parents take children to school for example."

Also speaking during the briefing, the Chief Medical Officer, Dr Gregor Smith, said the rise in cases was "not as great as I had wondered that we might see" and that he was "not overly concerned".

The latest coronavirus figures show 456 positive coronavirus tests were recorded in the past 24 hours.

No new deaths were recorded, meaning the death toll under this measure - of people who first tested positive for the virus within the previous 28 days - remains at 7,510.

The First Minister will set out further details of the Scottish Government's planned exit from Covid-19 restrictions to MSPs on Tuesday.

Some key measures she highlighted include the proposed end of the stay-at-home rule; the reopening of shopping; outdoor and later indoor hospitality; and further relaxation to meeting other households.

While the Ms Sturgeon again reiterated we "can't afford to simply throw caution to the wind", Tuesday's statement will show "hope we now have for the future".

The First Minister also addressed concerns over the AstraZeneca vaccine after a number of countries, including the Netherlands and Republic of Ireland, paused their use of the jab.

She told the briefing that the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency had "confirmed to us that there is no current evidence of an increase in blood clots" caused by the jab.

She added that there is "significant and growing evidence of the benefits of vaccination reducing death, illness and we hope now reducing transmission as well".