Chamber and committees

That is one of the most serious questions that is being posed to us all right now, and the unavoidable and inescapable implications of dealing with Covid—what it might mean for health and, indeed, the much wider impacts across the population—weigh very heavily on me. I assure the member and the chamber that those considerations are always very high up in my mind, as they are in the mind of the Government.

Specifically on cervical screening, cancer screening generally is really important. We had to pause the screening programmes for a period during the early part of the pandemic, but they are now operational again. It is important that people can get appointments for cervical and other cancer screening. It is also important that we encourage uptake of screening programmes, and that is particularly true for cervical and breast screening in women. There is a great deal that we need to do, and I repeat my assurance that it is a high priority for us.

The omicron variant has a mutation that leads to, as people have heard me refer to previously, the S-gene dropout. Although the S-gene dropout in a PCR sample is not conclusive of omicron, it is highly indicative of it. Previously, that was what indicated presence of the alpha variant. However, because that variant has more or less disappeared from circulation in Scotland, if a PCR test has the S-gene dropout, it is indicative of omicron and gives an early indication of the presence of that variant.

All PCR samples from test sites in Scotland are processed by the Glasgow Lighthouse lab, which can detect that S-gene dropout. Health protection teams are right now treating all such cases as if they were omicron confirmed in their public health response, which influences the approach to contact tracing and isolation. Many PCR cases that have that S-gene dropout then go through whole genomic sequencing, which confirms absolutely the presence or otherwise of the omicron variant. The absence of the S-gene in those PCR tests is an important way of quickly identifying that a case might be omicron and then ensuring that the public health response is appropriate on that basis.

The local health protection teams in Lanarkshire have been working hard through enhanced contact tracing, isolation and targeted testing to try to limit transmission. The same approaches will be used in other health board areas in which we are seeing omicron cases.

Earlier on, I said that we now have confirmed omicron cases in nine out of 14 health board areas—although there may be only single cases in some of those health board areas at this stage—so we are seeing transmission of the variant in pretty much all parts of the country. It is important to be mindful of that.

We know that many cases right now are associated with large events. That is certainly the case in Lanarkshire, and we all have to be mindful of that—the Government certainly has to be mindful of it, as we consider the data and any implications of that in the days ahead. I know that there is concern in the scientific community that the variant has a particular super-spreading risk associated with it. If a person is attending an event, they should ensure that they test before they go. Even although it is not the law to physically distance any more, they should be mindful of the distance from people in other households. If we take sensible precautions right now, we have a chance of stemming the spread and avoiding the more onerous precautions that otherwise might become necessary.

Again, that is a very fair point. I drew that distinction perhaps two or three weeks ago, but Liam McArthur is right to point out that I have not necessarily drawn it clearly enough in recent weeks.

The island health boards are not using the online portal, so people who live in the islands should wait for a letter with the appointment for their booster vaccination. Parts but not all parts of NHS Highland are now using the portal so, again, some people in Highland will get a letter.

There is a clear and important distinction to draw: if you live in the Western Isles, on Orkney or on Shetland, you do not book your booster online; your health board will contact you with an appointment.

Dentists provide essential services and we are doing everything we can to support NHS dentistry. We have provided £50 million of financial support payments throughout the pandemic and additional funding for PPE to help dental services in these circumstances. From February next year, we will bring in new and increased fees for dentists for a range of treatments, which will support them in their efforts to clear the backlog in routine care that built up during the pandemic. Those plans build on recent announcements for funding for new dental drills and ventilation improvements, which are about helping NHS dental teams see patients safely in dental settings.

Booster information will appear in the international section of the Covid status app from 9 December—which is later this week on Thursday—along with negative test status from PCR tests and recovery certificates for those who have previously tested positive for Covid. Those have been developed in line with the standards set by the European Union and are for use for travel purposes only at this stage. Non-app users will be able to access their booster information on paper or PDF from the week beginning 13 December, which is next week. We will give further information in due course about the incorporation of booster vaccinations for domestic purposes.

I am not sure whether Murdo Fraser paid attention to my statement. I said that, through recent recruitment efforts, we have already added the equivalent of 300 additional vaccinators, through a range of different approaches, some of which Murdo Fraser has talked about. That work is already on-going.

I accept that, because we are seeking to encourage people to make appointments, some will come forward for vaccination without an appointment. There is always a balance to strike every day in every vaccination centre between supply and demand. On some days, more people come forward than was anticipated. In some ways, that is a good thing. However, it puts pressure on the supply and leads to regrettable delays in people being vaccinated, or in some cases—albeit a small number—to people being turned away. We are working hard, and health boards are working hard, to avoid that. However, in the overall scale of the programme, those are relatively small issues that are sometimes, unfortunately, unavoidable.

The overall programme is going exceptionally well. I keep making the point, because I think that it is important to give credit to the teams across the country, that we are not marginally but significantly ahead of England, Wales and Northern Ireland in the delivery of boosters. That does not mean that we can let up; we have to keep pushing ahead. However, it suggests to me that the programme is going well and that we are doing the right things. We just have to do more of them and make sure that we stay on it—and that is exactly what we intend to do.

Yes and, if there is still work to do to make that clear, we will make sure that that is done. Anybody who has been asked to isolate for the longer period because they are a close contact or a household contact of a close contact of an omicron case is eligible for the self-isolation support grant if they are otherwise eligible for the scheme, and we will make sure that the guidance is properly updated to make people aware of that.

We will continue to take all opportunities to get those messages across, including statements here and in the media. We are also asking members across the chamber to communicate those messages in their constituencies.

In addition, our public awareness campaign will intensify over the winter period. The current campaign, living safely for us all, which reinforces the importance of key safety behaviours, will run until 12 December. A new campaign, living safely this winter, will launch on 13 December and run throughout the festive period. That campaign will focus on the behaviours that we are asking people to adopt over the festive period to help to protect each other. Those behaviours include testing before travelling, socialising, visiting busy places and visiting other people in their houses; taking a PCR test if showing symptoms; getting vaccinated; and, of course, wearing face coverings and following all the necessary hygiene advice.

With the greatest respect, that is a gross mischaracterisation of the position. In the period between much earlier this year and now, we have gradually eased up some of the measures in place to avoid the need for mass isolation of classes and closure of schools. Many members across the chamber raised concerns about school closures because of the undeniable impact that that had on children’s education.

That is not the same as saying that test and protect—it is not test and trace—has disappeared from our schools. That is not the case. There have been continued targeted approaches to contact tracing and isolation in our schools. Given the new variant, there are now enhanced contact tracing and isolation requirements, which will, unfortunately, as we are already seeing, be likely to have an impact on classes and schools in different parts of the country. That proportionate, targeted approach, in which we scale back, when we can, to reduce the impact on education, and scale up again when necessary—as is the case now—is the one that we will continue to take.

On testing, we cannot force children or staff to test but, as we are doing for the entire population, we strongly encourage them to test regularly and repeatedly, using an LFD test. Again, I ask all members to help us to get that message across in their communications in their constituencies.