Nicola Sturgeon believes the vaccine will “win the race” against the spread of the new variant as Covid-19 cases soar across Scotland.
She said that if the virus gets ahead of vaccination, more people could die and the NHS could struggle with the pressure.
The Delta variant is spreading “faster than ever before”, with the first minister warning that it is “significantly more transmissible than other variants”.
“While we are comparing case numbers now, it is the case that at the start of the year we were in a much stricter lockdown,” said Ms Sturgeon.
“Far fewer restrictions are in place now. This is the first sign that vaccination is having an affect.
“However, the new cases are still a cause for concern.”
Tayside hospitalisations have increased by 10 overnight, as Covid cases in the area soar at a rate of 754 cases per 100,000.
One death was reported in Scotland, in Perth and Kinross.
Today, 154 new positive cases were reported in Dundee and 248 were reported in Fife. 109 new cases were reported in Perth and Kinross, as well as 70 new cases in Angus.
Past the peak
The first minister said that, if considering when samples was taken for Covid-19 tests, cases actually peaked last Tuesday.
She suggested that there has been a slow deceleration in cases since then, warning that it is “still early days and we will monitor this”.
Despite the recent figures, Ms Sturgeon remains confident that restrictions will continue to ease in the coming weeks. She advised Scots to “redouble our efforts for just a few more weeks to get there as safely as possible”.
Monday saw Scotland’s highest ever daily case number, with 3,285 new cases reported. Today’s cases dropped slightly.
The new cases are predominantly among men.
Breaking the link
Ms Sturgeon stressed how the vaccine is breaking the link between cases and hospitalisations. Once the vulnerable group of the pandemic, those aged 65+ account for just 2% of new cases.
Now, more than 80% of all new cases are people under age of 44.
Throughout Scotland, 3,118 new cases of Covid-19 were reported for Tuesday. This represents 11.6% of the total tests taken.
There were 215 people in hospital yesterday, including 20 people in intensive care with recently confirmed Covid-19. Thirteen people were admitted to hospital.
Following a review of recent data, the ban on travel to Manchester and Salford will be lifted from tomorrow.