Nicola Sturgeon has claimed an analysis of high covid infection levels indicates numbers peaked last week.
The First Minister said figures showed the high point was Tuesday, which is when Scotland played Croatia in the Euros football tournament.
The Scottish Government yesterday announced the record infection levels, but today the number fell slightly.
At her media briefing, Sturgeon said when the Government looked at cases in the context of when the specimen was taken, then the “peak” may have been early last week.
She said: “And since then we have seen what appears to be a slowing down of the rate of increase. So that’s encouraging, but again I would stress it is early days.”
She said without the vaccine then the level of restrictions just now would “undoubtedly” lead to far higher case numbers.
However, she also cautioned that infection levels are still a “cause for concern”.
Sturgeon added the number of cases is the “first sign” that the vaccination programme is working.
The First Minister said: “While we are comparing case numbers now to the situation at the start of the year, it is the case that at the start of the year – which was the last time case numbers were anywhere near the levels they are at now – we were in much a stricter lockdown.
“Far, far fewer restrictions are in force now.
“So the reality now is that without vaccination, the level of restrictions that are in place just now would undoubtedly be leading to far higher case numbers than is actually the case.
“So that’s the first sign that vaccination is actually having an effect.”
