Scotland records 13 deaths and 11,962 new cases of coronavirus

Scotland has recorded 13 deaths and 11,962 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours.

As of Thursday, there were 859 people in hospital with recently confirmed Covid-19.

A total of 36 people were in intensive care with the virus.

Of the 60,818 new tests for Covid-19 that reported results, 22.6% of those were positive.

Just over 4.3 million people in Scotland have received their first dose of the vaccine.

Almost 3 million people in the country have now had their third or booster dose.

Delighted we've met our target of offering every eligible adult over 18 a booster appointment by the end of the year.

Almost 90% of over 50s & over 80% of over 40s have had their 3rd dose/booster.

Almost 77% of all eligible adults in Scotland have been #BoostedByTheBells
— Humza Yousaf (@HumzaYousaf) December 31, 2021

The Scottish Government has been urging people to get “boosted by the bells” ahead of Hogmanay.

With the accelerated vaccination programme in response to the Omicron variant, nearly 77% of eligible adults were given their third or booster dose by December 30.

Data published on Thursday also indicated that Scotland has the third most successful booster programme in the world.

Health secretary Humza Yousaf thanked those who have helped to deliver the vaccination programme.

“Since the emergence of the Omicron variant there has been an heroic and monumental effort by everyone on Scotland’s vaccination programme to make sure we can deliver booster vaccines as quickly as possible,” said Yousaf.

“My heartfelt thanks to everyone involved in the delivery of the programme and to everyone coming forward to be boosted.

“In the week ending December 26 – with staff quite rightly taking a break on Christmas Day and Boxing Day – and with many areas suffering high infection rates, we achieved record-breaking numbers of vaccinations, with 77,927 jabbed on the busiest day – that’s more than one every second during vaccine centre opening hours.”

Yousaf explained that anyone who has contracted Covid or has had to isolate can arrange a new booster appointment.

He said: “We know that many people have been unable to attend their appointments due to the virus. This has been the most common reason for people cancelling their appointment via the helpline.

“Anyone who has had to delay their booster due to a Covid-19 infection or isolation period can arrange a new appointment, 28 days after their positive PCR test.”

The health secretary said it is “everyone’s duty” to get vaccinated.

He added: “To deliver maximum benefits we need as many people as possible to get boosted as quickly as possible.

“It is everyone’s duty to get a jab if you haven’t already – vaccination could literally save your life as well as keeping family, friends and loved ones safe.

“And it is never too late to receive your booster – or even a first or second dose – so please come forward as soon as possible, as there is capacity available to get you vaccinated.”