Sturgeon: Unvaccinated Scots could put loved ones at risk at Christmas
Scots who have refused to be vaccinated against coronavirus could be putting the lives of family and friends in danger if they meet up this Christmas, Nicola Sturgeon has warned.
The First Minister sent a strong message to those who have so far chosen not get jagged ahead of the festive season.
She told them: "If you are meeting up with loved ones and you are not as fully vaccinated as you could be, you are putting them at unnecessary risk.
"To be blunt, you could be putting their lives in danger."
Ms Sturgeon insisted it is "the duty and responsibility of all of us as citizens is to get vaccinated as soon as we are able".
And she added: "This is even more important if you are planning to socialise at all over the festive period."
Giving her regular Covid update to Holyrood, the First Minister said a total of 4,340,162 people have now had one dose of the vaccine, with 3,940,314 having had two doses.
Almost nine out of 10 (88%) of all those over the age of 18 are now now double-vaccinated, she added.
But with some "waning of vaccine immunity" and people expected to socialise more over the festive period, she stressed the importance of people attending for booster jags.
She also urged people to make an "extra effort" by testing themselves for coronavirus with lateral flow devices before heading out with others.
Ms Sturgeon advised: "On any occasion that you are socialising with others - whether that is going out for drinks or dinner, visiting someone at home, or even going shopping somewhere that might be crowded - please take a test before you go.
"And if it is positive, do not go. Instead, get a PCR test and self-isolate while you wait for the result.
"This way, you are minimising the risk of inadvertently passing the virus on even if you don't have symptoms."
With fewer restrictions in place than last year, the First Minister said she is "very much hopeful that all of us will have a much more normal Christmas".
But she stressed: "To make that possible, we need to comply with all the protections in place and continue to do that."
Hear the latest news on Clyde 1 on FM, DAB, smart speaker or the Rayo app.