Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed a further 38 coronavirus deaths in Scotland over the last 24 hours.
The Scottish Government also announced that 951 new cases of COVID-19 were reported overnight, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 96,762.
Scotland's death toll since the start of the pandemic has now hit 3,797.
991 people are in hospital being treated for the deadly virus while 68 people remain in intensive care.
The news comes as a Covid-19 vaccine has been approved by the UK health regulator.
The Covid19 vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech has been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for use in the UK, paving the way for mass vaccination to start.
It is set to be rolled out across the UK next week with the news being welcomed by the First Minister.
Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: "The best news in a long time. Scotgov ready to start vaccinations as soon as supplies arrive".
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman told MSPs last month that the first wave of jabs would be rolled out from December through to February.
It is hoped that 4.4 million Scots will be vaccinated by spring next year.
Government officials say they are following “independent scientific and clinical advice” from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
The body has published a priority list of people who are expected to get the vaccine during the first wave in Scotland.
Freeman said that it is important that “those most in need of protection receive that protection first”.
