Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government calculates test positivity as the total number of positive tests reported on a particular day divided by the overall number of tests reported that day. Public Health Scotland also use this approach on their dashboard and the headline figure for newly reported test positivity is the same as that published by the Scottish Government.

Where Public Health Scotland shows trend information, the positivity rate is calculated based on specimen date (the date on which people took the tests) and therefore these figures are different.

The prioritisation is based on the greatest impact on those at greatest risk of mortality and morbidity from Covid-19. That is what guides the GCVI conclusions to priorities on an age basis.

NHS Scotland's staffing levels are up by over 19,500 whole time equivalent staff members working in our NHS under this Government. This is a 15.4% increase (from 127,061.9 WTE at September 2006 to 146,630.9 WTE at September 2020).

Under this Government, the number of anaesthetics consultants has increased by 43.4% (from 549.0 WTE as at Sept 2006 to 787.2 WTE as at September 2020).

The Government has also increased the number of anaesthetists in training in Scotland since 2014 to build a training establishment which now produces sufficient trained anaesthetists annually to replace leavers and to supply over 2% annual growth in consultant numbers.

Taking account both of the current pandemic and upcoming winter challenges, Scottish Ministers continue to work with NHS Boards on ensuring the ongoing sustainability of their services in line with the Re-mobilise, Recover and Re-design Framework. Discussions with Boards cover a range of priority services, including anaesthetics

Deployment of qualified anaesthetists within NHS Scotland services remains the responsibility of individual Boards.

Quarantine for international travellers is the most effective way for us to guard against importing new cases and strains as numbers come down in Scotland.

If the traveller does not have any coronavirus symptoms after 10 days, they can stop self-isolating. If the traveller develops any symptoms of COVID-19, they should arrange a test through the NHS Inform website.

However, we are considering whether alternatives to self-isolation for 10 days can be introduced, including allowing travellers to take a test to end their period of isolation early, such as the Test to Release scheme announced by the UK Government. We are proceeding with our own evaluation of test to release, working with representatives from Scotland’s main commercial airports to model the potential impact, and will decide whether we are reassured that test to release can be implemented in a way that minimises risk.

The protocols for timely data on possible suicides will be ready for implementation from the Spring. The data will cover suspected suicides identified through Police Scotland databases. The data will be anonymised before it is shared with local partnerships. We expect the data will be available monthly and will cover deaths from the previous month. Assessing the reliability of identifying suicides from this provisional data (prior to Procurator Fiscal determination of death) will be a factor in determining whether it will be made public. It will certainly help to inform local partnerships in their planning and response.

National Records of Scotland will publish annual suicide data in June 2021 which will cover the Covid period.

We have published an extensive suite of guidance which includes general safer workplaces guidance .

The guidance highlights the importance of enhanced hygiene as a key plank of measures to create a safe workplace environment. This guidance applies across all COVID Protection Levels and includes specific mention of the importance of regularly cleaning and sanitising vending machines.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-33765 on 17 December 2020. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

All Scottish Government COVID-19 guidance is published on the website, at: https://www.gov.scot/coronavirus-covid-19/ .

As noted on the website, travel restrictions will be relaxed from 23 – 27 December (inclusive) to allow people to travel between local authority areas and the four nations of the UK to join their Christmas bubble.

Guidance for international travel remains unchanged during the festive period: if you are in a tier 3 or 4 local authority area you are not allowed to travel outside of your local area without a reasonable excuse; if you are in tier 0, 1 or 2 you are strongly advised against international travel.

The Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations have identified the groups to be prioritised within the first phase of vaccinations, including everyone over 50, and people under 50 with particular conditions. This approach is designed to address approximately 99% of the vaccine-preventable mortality from Covid-19. Their recommendation states that vaccinations should be prioritised in this order:

1) Residents in care homes for older adults and their carers

2) All those 80 years of age and over, frontline health and social care workers

3) All those 75 years of age and over

4) All those 70 years of age and over, clinically extremely vulnerable individuals

5) All those 65 years of age and over

6) All individuals aged 16 years to 64 years with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of serious disease and mortality – unpaid carers are included within this group

7) All those 60 years of age and over

8) All those 55 years of age and over

9) All those 50 years of age and over

We will work with health boards, local authorities and carers’ organisations to ensure that all eligible unpaid carers receive the information they need to come forward for vaccination and are actively considering what other communication awareness can be used.

There is no data as yet on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in pregnancy, either from human or animal studies. Given the lack of evidence, the JCVI favours a precautionary approach, and does not currently advise COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy.