Hello everyone, my name is Xi Yuan Wang. I'm a software engineer from Huawei. I'm a full-time open-source contributor and have worked on open-source since for more than seven years. I mainly worked in the open-infra community before and was a maintainer in the open-stack Keystone project. Now I mainly work on AI-related open-source scenes. I'm very happy to speak at Open Source Summit Europe. I hope this topic can help you more or less. Thank you. Today, our session will be separated three parts. First, we will give a brief introduction about Spark and deep learning on Spark. Then Xi Yuan will give an overview and a technical detail about how to support Onyx and isn't on Onyx right time. Finally, after above two parts completed, we will give a whole workflow to help you understand and show how to run Onyx AI inference job on Apache Spark. Okay, let's start. We will first give a brief introduction about Spark. What's a Spark? Maybe you already have a preliminary understanding of Apache Spark. We can look at the picture on left-serve first with a very simple line of code. We can use the API of Spark DataFrame to complete the processing of big data. Behind the simplicity, Spark helps us convert the same code into Spark program that can run in a distributed environment. This environment contains many, many workers and physical nodes or containers or anything. The user submits a Spark job. The Spark driver will request multi-workers from the resource management component. As we know, this resource management component can be yarn or carbonase. They are a very popular resource management component. Then Spark will help us segment the data. Just split the big data into a very small sense and then transfer the data to each worker. Like the conspirator handles a conspiracy task. That means a very small task to do something like reduce the data or something. The acutor is very real. Data is processed, including the data conversion, some transform, aggregation, drawing, or other operations. When a start is processed, it can be written to the conspiracy failure or return to the user for further use. It is precisely because of the simple API and the power functions of Spark. Spark is the most important component in the field of big data processing. As we all know, Python is a very important language for AI, especially when the data ecology and the AI ecology are integrated. In the process of training an AI model, we need to prepare a large amount of data processing in the world, such as feature engineering and data washing. Spark also provides the PySpark. This is a very important role to connect the data on the AI through PySpark. For example, on the left picture, you can see Spark as a base and Spark as a base, which is written by Scala. PySpark is an interface for Apache Spark in Python. It not only allows you to write Spark application using Python API, but also provides PySpark shell for interactive understanding your data in a distributed environment. Python supports most of Spark features such as Spark Circle, Data Frame, Streaming, ML Live, and Spark Core. You can see the right part. You can easily install the PySpark using PIP, and then you just type the PySpark. You can start a PySpark shell and use a very simple API to read the JSON and analyze the JSON file. This is a picture of the data flow in PySpark. PySpark is built on the top of Spark Java API, and the data is processed in Python and catch a shuffle in JVM. You can see the left picture, Py for Java is a very important bridge of Spark and PySpark. It's a bridge of Java and Python, so you need PyCo and PyCo the data object between Python and Java. The most important thing is how to transfer the data between Python and Spark. After we have some introduction about the PySpark, I will introduce the history release of Spark, how to improve the ML of data and AI. Spark also has lots of improvements to help data and AI integration in the past releases. So just like Spark 24374 is named as barrier execution mode. One of the reasons is to support the deep deep learning framework on Spark. So the core of this SPIP helps task-level schedule or to say one-on-nothing. That means such as tasks are dependent on each other. When one of the tasks fails, all tasks are retired. So this is just one-on-nothing. Notice that this is the task-level schedule, not the resource management schedule. For example, Horrward is an open source framework to do the deep learning on scale. Use the MPI to implement the distributed deep learning for variant DL frameworks. After this feature is supported, we need to do this since like Horrward work. This is the help to distribute the training. The second one is a celebrate a VR scheduling. The core feature of this IPvp helps to discover GPU hardware integrated into the Spark. You can easily integrate your specific GPU hardware. Also, the user can define the discover script. This SPIP also provides a way to request GPU in application and help the task scheduling in GPU environment. This feature is a very good SPIP to help the user do the GPU integration. They help discover the GPU. The second one is to help application to the environment with GPU. The last one is the data exchange. As I mentioned before, the data exchange is very important for Spark and PySpark. And also, it's very important to speed data change between the PySpark and other frameworks such as deep learning. We can see that it's a very important one. It's an error integration. Error is a very important project to help memory HR or memory transfer something like data exchange between the process or components. The last one is just for this. It introduces a Spark 3 word. We can see that the history of Spark has many, many improvements in the data and AI integration. So what else can we continue to do and help the integration of the Spark and AI framework? Okay, let's see this page. This page shows the simplest workflow of the inference workflow of the data and AI pipeline. In general, the user uses Spark as a data processing platform and uses only runtime as an inference platform. So that's an example. The only strength is one of the DL inference platform. So the defined data frame interface is very friendly to data engineering. The data engineer can easily to load data and complete a feature engineer like ETL or something. They are very professional in the data processing. As a defector standard of the big data platform, Spark can help users easily and conveniently use a simple interface to divide huge data to each acutor. That's just like I introduced before. So especially in recent years, Spark has been able to pandas on Spark API since version 3.4, which is a very important convenient to users who use pandas API. You can easily to migrate your pandas application to pandas on Spark. With no more line change, you can just move the pandas from the single machine to the distributed environment. So as a present, as we know, the various AI frameworks such as data flow path, how to transport has their own implementations. So for for for developers who use the AI framework, they are often profession to the such like a parameter tuning of the AI framework and the internal principle of frameworks. But just to say there's two parts, two rules in here is data engineers and ML operation engineers. So there are some gaps of fraction points between these two because the data engineering often don't understand the framework very deeply. They don't know the internal of the various frameworks. And the same as AI engineer, they also didn't don't know much about the data data engineers or the work or some integration work. Therefore, the Spark community has also initialized a discussion on SAP API helping on hoping to hide the complex process of each framework by providing a simple API making a process of the Spark and AI inference smoother. So the goal of the SAP API is to simplify the deployment of the DL models to Spark inference and also enable the integration with third party DL framework. Naturally, the target person data engineer who need to deploy DL on Spark or the developers who want to deploy the DL models on Spark. You can see you can search the Spark 38648 to learn more. But I just want to say this SAP API is still under discussion, maybe not complete integration just to introduce some simple API in in PySpark and help the data engineering and AI engineering to increase smoother. So first of all, I'd like to introduce the basic concept of ONIX for you. ONIX is an open-source project managed under LINX Foundation AI and data. We call it LF AI and data. It is an umbrella foundation of the LINX Foundation that supports open-source invocations in artificial intelligence and data. The mission of LF AI and data is to build and support an open artificial intelligence and data community and the driven open-source invocation in the AI and data domains by enabling corporations and the creation of new opportunities for all the members of the community. ONIX is an open format built to represent machine learning models. ONIX defines a common set of operators, the building blocks of machine learning and deep learning models and a common field format to enable AI developers to use models with a variety of frameworks tools, roundtimes, and compilers. In using ONIX, you can develop in your preferred framework without worrying about downstream inferencing implications. ONIX enables you to use your preferred framework with your chosen inference engine. What's more, ONIX makes it easier to access hardware optimizations and use ONIX compatible roundtimes and libraries designed to maximize performance across hardware. An ONIX roundtimes is a cross-platform machine learning model accelerator with a flexible interface to integrate hardware-specific libraries and it is an open-source project from Microsoft. Let's look at the flow as the red side in the slide. It shows how users work with ONIX and ONIX runtime. First, users should fetch pre-trained models in any format. For example, it could be the patch, models, TensorFlow models, and so on. Then users need to transform the models to ONIX format using the transform tools provided by the ONIX community or any other AI framework. Next, users can load the ONIX format model into ONIX runtime. Then the models can run on any hardware that ONIX runtime supports. We can see that there are many, many AI frameworks and hardware now support ONIX and ONIX runtime. Next, I'd like to introduce the basic concept of ASUND. ASUND is the name of NPO AI processors from Huawei. Around it, Huawei has built the ASUND AI ecosystem. Let's take a look at the graph here. The red rectangles here represent different ASUND processor models. ASUND 310 only supports AI inference and both 7100 and 910 support train and inference. Based on the processor, Huawei built a series of AI-related hardware, which is showing blue rectangles in the picture. They are called ATAS. Here I'd like to say more about ATAS 3000. It's a kind of PCI card and used widely on data or AI-processed servers. Our develop and test work in this section is based on it as well. Then based on the hardware, ASUND ecosystem also provides a software layer called Khan. It's the yellow rectangles in the picture. Khan provides APIs to help developers quickly build AI applications and services based on the ASUND platform. Frankly speaking, it's similar with CUDA in the video ecosystem. Then at last, based on Khan, it's the user layer. Any AI-related apps, frameworks, and other applications can easily wa... no, no, no, sorry. Any AI-related apps, frameworks, and so on can use ASUND easily for Khan. For software, Khan is the main point that both developers and AI frameworks should know. So let's focus on Khan. You can see in this, this is Khan technical stack view in ASUND ecosystem. The picture here shows the newest version called Khan 5.0. As you can see, there are multiple layers in Khan. It contains service layer, completion layer, execution layer, and the base layer. So the service layer contains operator library, optimization engine, and the framework adapter. Operator library names AOL is a neural network library and contains computer vision library and glass library and more included. So for AOE, as ASUND optimization engine, it mainly speeds up the end-to-end execution of models through operator auto-tone and SGAT and other technique. And for framework adapter, it's mainly to address the AI framework. And then for computing and completion layer, it's mainly contains ATC. ATC is tensor compiler. It's graph compiler is a control center of graph building and execution and can be used for many management of graph runtime environment, graph execution engine, operator packages, subgraph turning, and graph operations. And TB here is tensor boss engine. It enables auto scheduler and operator buildings. And the next layer execution layer, ACE is the moon point. ACE executes models and operators, schedule tasks, and manage compute units. It includes runtime, graph executor, digital vision pre-processing, and AI pre-processing, and Huawei Collative's communication libraries. And the last layer is the base layer. I think there's no more things to say because the contents are basic, base OS, SVM, and others. After the ascended introduction, let's fall back to Onyx. And currently, if a user wants to run Onyx model on ascended hardware, he should first use the model translation to provided by Khan to translate the model from Onyx to ascended. The flow is a little complex, and the translated model may lose some precision under the performance may be poor. Even in some case, the model may cannot work correctly. So to solve the problem, a better way is to find a way that Onyx model can work on ascended directly. Onyx runtime has a machine eyes to support different hardware. It is called execution provider. So in Onyx runtime, we'd like to add Khan as a new execution provider. Once it is done, users can use Onyx model on ascended hardware via Onyx runtime. Of course, we'll add the related CI system in up-screen as well to make sure the Khan execution provider can always work. The line below is our roadmap. First, we'll push the basic code to up-screen. The end-to-end flow will be down in it, and the ResNet model should work correctly on Khan execution provider. And at the end of this year, we'll finish all the Onyx operator support and make sure all the models in Onyx model zoo can work well on ascended. In the next year, we'll focus on optimization work, such as performance improvements and so on. Now the patch for Khan support is done. Use the code short here. The link short here. You can now run ResNet and VGG models correctly on Khan using Onyx runtime directly. If you are interested, please leave us a message and we can discuss more in the future. Maybe we can provide ascended resources for you to test temporarily. Okay, that's all for my share. Next, Equin will share the full stack about how Spark and Onyx and Khan can work together. This is a simple example to show how the developer should complete the inference after DL on Spark in Able. We can see the live file. The only things the users need to do is to impart the corresponding framework extension and the model URL. Then all complexity, including the tab processing, tab conversion, and the framework initialization are hidden in the model user defined function. This model UDF maybe will be supported or implemented by the AFRAM provider. What each framework needs to do is just to implement the corresponding implementation according to the actual situation of the framework, just like PyTorch or TensorFlow. Then see the right picture. Spark will help you acute the Onyx inference in Spark encoder and Spark will help gather the final result. In this way, users can easily complete the Onyx inference on big data and help split data and influence the AI without seeing hardware with different hardware in Spark encoder. At the same time, since Onyx is used as a framework for model inference in the encoder, all hardware supported by Onyx random coupling are ultra-lized. Okay, thanks for joining us and thanks for your watching. That's all our shares. Thank you.


Are you generally just not got the power that you would like to possess when you've got an iron in your hand? Well, if that's the case, today's video and tip could be just the thing you are looking for, because I can guarantee you by the end of this video, you'll be hitting these things further than before. So today's episode of Testing the Tips comes from Eric Cagorno-Golf. Now, we've not featured Eric on the channel as yet, and as ever, there will be a link in the description below to Eric's full and perhaps more detailed explanation than what I'm going to provide you right now. And as I said, it's very much my interpretation of Eric's video. But essentially, what he's looking to do is create more clubhead speed with less effort in what is effectively a three-stage drill. Now, it's a very simple drill, but it's also a very effective one. And we're going to start off with step one of making sure we get more clubhead speed and generating more distance with our irons. Guys, okay, now we're going to need something, a little bit of a prop to assist you in being able to carry out this drill. I'm going to do phase one and phase two of this drill in this next stage. Now then, what Eric talks about is how many of us golfers, average golfers maybe, look to generate a lot of power from the top of the backswing into that impact location. So you'll know yourself, you put a huge amount of effort into that right behind the ball. So from the top of the swing, we often rush that element as well.   And what we're going to look to do is move the ball out the way for now is we're going to look from our address position through to the top of our swing as fast as we can. So all you're looking to do is looking to push through and I'm going to again push through to the top of your swing. That feels very strange because you're automatically, first of all, what you want to do is from this position your brain is trained to go that way. So it takes a little bit getting used to. So just get your address position, realizing you're not going back and push through. Now, trust me, it feels very weird. It feels very odd indeed. But it feels very different because what I'm not doing is I know that in my full swing I have not got that feeling through that impact location. I know that I haven't. So I don't stay through the ball and generally hitting down and coming up a lot quicker. And that's the bit that interests me in the sort of real feeling, the full swing that it starts to develop. So all you're going to do is keep on practicing, flicking through, it's supposed to feel very rushed, very, a lot of energy and effort going into it. And I know that you might look at that and think it looks pretty slow, but trust me, getting from that standstill position into the top of your back swing, your top of your swing without any back swing is really difficult to do. So that's phase one. All you're doing is getting some practice swings in from your address position and through the ball. Right, then we're going to move away from our obstacle. We don't want that anymore because what we're going to do is we're going to take our club and we're going to extend the swing to what would be sort of waist height in our backswing. We're going to do it exactly the same. So from the address position, we're not using a ball by the way. Just step away from the ball a little bit, get into your sort of waist height in your backswing but then get that same feeling of increasing your club head speed through that impact into the top of your swing. So the drill goes where you get to there and then you start to really rush through. And this is where you feel a real difference. And for me, this now feels a lot more natural than what we did from having the obstacle in the back from just going from the sort of address position to getting from here to the top of there quickly, but it's kind of, it's that obvious kind of move forward because you, all you're doing is extending what you've just felt through that sort of, through the swing, through to the top of the swing. And you just, it's a weird feeling. I mean, probably see, I'm struggling to sort of even explain what I'm experiencing. You've got to go and try this because what we're going to do then is all we're going to do, eventually we're going to hit a golf ball, obviously, but we're going to hit a golf ball, first of all, with just this swing to the waist height and then through and let's see what happens. Now don't go anywhere because we've got to admit when I first started trying this drill, I thought it was really weird. I didn't think it was going to work, but trust me, it does 100%. Right, so out of interest, I'm using a seven iron. Let's get addressed the ball. Let's just first of all get to there and whip through.  Let's put a ball in and let's feel that exact same things. Up there. Wow. Do you know what? I mean, the interesting thing is, I've just said off camera, it feels really weird because with a lot of these tips, what I do I generally experience them. I've had a little bit of a practice of this beforehand and I'm really surprised. I just, even with that half swing and I probably, my guess would be, watching that back on the other camera is I've probably extended that higher than my waist height because it's a natural thing. It's very hard to control. And what your mind thinks you're doing, often with the golf swing, you're doing something quite different. So my guess is I think I wouldn't have hit that ball that far unless I extended that further than what I was supposed to do. But just watch that one back. First of all, it's a great distance we've just traveled with seven iron in hand from what felt like half a swing, but it's a really crisp contact. And what it also does, like I said, it just focuses the mind on hitting the back of that golf ball. And more importantly for me, the feeling I'm getting is I'm staying lower through that contact position for longer instead of my normal swing, which would be very much sort of coming up and out of the shot. So that's been a real positive for me is not just the fact that am I generating more club head speed? Probably. Am I going longer in distance? Probably. But more importantly, I'm getting a much better, crisper contact onto the back of that ball. My advice would be just keep on trying that drill at a half swing, effectively, or a half back swing at least to make sure you get to the top of that backswing as fast as you can. Is two more shots that I tried, which in all honesty, weren't as successful on that first one that I put on camera, which to be honest with you, I couldn't have hit any better. The second two, I leaked out a little bit to the right, even though they were really crisp strikes. And I'm not too bothered about that because the next phase, if you like step three, is probably hopefully gonna eradicate that problem for me in leaking right. And that's all about sort of engaging the lower body a bit more and getting a little bit energetic in terms of moving into the ball, which perhaps on those two that you've seen, I'm just a little bit behind the ball in terms of my body. This is a bit of a sequence thing where what Eric talks about is when you're starting to get to the top of your backswing, you're gonna start to move your hips and your weight more towards the ball. So club heads go in that way and then hips are going that way just before we start to make that turn into our swing. And what that is really gonna do is start to get hopefully a bit of shaft lean. We're gonna get a much more penetrating ball fight. We're gonna make sure that our hands are ahead of the ball impact as well. So don't forget, let's get that first bit whipping through. And then we're gonna go to the full swing. And as we go to the full swing, we go that way and we start to move the other way. Now what I've got to, or let me rephrase that. Our arms get to the top of our backswing and as they're reaching that way, we're starting to move our weight slightly in terms of that front left lead foot back towards the ball and generate that kind of like I said, lag if you like it. That's what we're hoping to do. So I'm gonna give that a go and we're gonna see if we can get as good a contact as what I did off that first ball because that was so, so good. So I'm just gonna go to here first ball. That's a real good drill before you hit your irons. It's just that practice shot on the tee or practice swing really gets you in a good position. Now, a little bit closer to the ball.  You can hear obviously a much crisper sound. I mean, again, that has still gone out right hand side. It's a lot further than the two we just seen previously. But you can see how crisp the strike is. And for me, it's a different feeling, a different sensation that I am used to completely and it's something you would have to work on. But it's a real good drill that you can take to the driving range and you can sort of, I think sort of that half swing if you like, or half back swing through to the top of your back swing, generating that extra club head through the impact location. Give it a go and see what you think because it's a real interesting one. I think it's not gonna be for everybody, but I think for a lot of golfers, you'll really start to understand why you're perhaps losing a little bit of power, losing a little bit of distance with your irons in hand. And this could be a really useful tip. Well done, Eric, I like it. And like I said, that's my interpretation. Go to Eric's channel, go to the link below and see what he has to say, probably give a better explanation than I did. Right, that's another episode of testing the tips. You seem to be enjoying these right now. It's certainly helping my game and hopefully it's helping yours as well. So keep on giving me comments down below. This came, Eric Cagorno had never heard of him before. It came from you as a comment that someone suggested we look at his channel. So keep on putting them forward and we'll keep checking them out and keep on giving my interpretation and I'll let you know what I think of them. Right, thanks for watching and I'll see you all soon. That's so crisp, really good. So basically, for me, it's a case of I've got to loosen up a little bit in the backswing and you can feel that explosion then through there. Again, just leaked out to the right hand side. There's just a couple more that we ended up filming and moved from the tee to where I landed on the fairway and it was just really interesting that for me, the one thing I've noted and just bear in mind yourselves and I was kind of like throttling the club, really got a tight grip to try and generate that power through and that sort of had issues, if you like.  So for me, I'd have to work on it a little bit but there's no doubt you wanna go out and try this one. It's 100% a much crispest strike. My eyes haven't been great the last few days. I've been honestly the two days here. It's been the weakest part of my game. I've been okay but I haven't struck the ball anything like and I wish to record this video two days ago and I might have had some better scores here round Cardrona.


I remind members that social distancing measures are in place in the chamber and across the Holyrood campus, and I ask that members take care to observe those measures, including when entering and exiting the chamber. Please only use the aisles and walkways to access your seat and when moving around the chamber. The next item of business is a statement by Nicola Sturgeon on Covid-19 update. The First Minister will take questions at the end of her statement, and so there should be no interventions or interruptions. I call on Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister. I will give a detailed update today on the Scottish Government's most recent assessment of the state of the pandemic and also on the progress with vaccination. I will also outline the latest position on three specific vaccination-related matters on which there has been significant development in the past week, namely on-going consideration of possible vaccination of all 12 to 15-year-olds, the JCVI recommendation for booster vaccination of those who are immunosuppressed and our proposal to be debated by Parliament tomorrow, of course, for a limited and targeted system of vaccine certification. First, I will summarise today's statistics, which have been published in the last half hour or so. 5,810 positive cases were reported yesterday, 10.8 per cent of all the tests that were carried out. 883 people are currently in hospital with Covid, which is 78 more than yesterday, and 82 people are receiving intensive care, which is five more than yesterday. Sadly, I have to report a further 17 deaths that were reported in the past 24 hours, and that takes the total number of deaths registered under this daily definition to 8198. As always, my sincerest condolences are with everyone who has lost a loved one. Those figures show clearly that we are still experiencing a surge in cases and indeed a very high level of infection within the population. However, the latest data also gives us some early, albeit tentative at this stage, indication that the rate of increase may now be slowing down. That can be seen from an analysis of the last three weeks of case numbers. In the week to 22 August, based on the date, test samples were taken. An average of 3,374 new cases per day were recorded. In the week to 29 August, that had risen to an average of 5,763 cases a day, an increase of more than 70 per cent. However, figures for the most recent week, which is up to 5 September, show a daily average of 6,304, an increase of 9 per cent. The 7-day average test positivity by specimen date has also fallen back slightly from a peak of 13.4 per cent on the 29 August to 12.7 per cent, as at 5 September. It is also worth perhaps providing a bit more detail about the age breakdown of the latest case figures. Over the past week, 75 per cent of all cases have been in those aged under 45. That is consistent with the broad picture that we have seen throughout this current wave of infection. However, further analysis of the under-45 shows variation between different age bands and also gives scope for some very cautious optimism. For example, in the most recent week, the number of cases in the 0 to 14-year-old age band has risen by 44 per cent. Although that is a significant increase, it represents a significant slowing in the rate of increase from the previous week, when cases in that age group increased by more than 150 per cent. Cases in the 25 to 44-year-old age band have also continued to rise, but again the rate of increase has slowed quite considerably. It was 6 per cent in the most recent week compared to almost 70 per cent in the week before. Amongst 15 to 24-year-olds, cases have fallen in the most recent week by 18 per cent, from just under 11,000 to just under 9,000. That fall of around 18 per cent compares to an increase in that age group of 29 per cent in the previous week. We can take from all of that that it appears that the rate of increase has slowed. That may well suggest that the appeal to individuals and businesses over the past two weeks to improve compliance with basic mitigations and, for all of us, to be more cautious in our everyday behaviours is having some impact. The on-going work of test and protect is also vital and hugely appreciated. I want to take the opportunity now to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone for all of the considerable efforts and sacrifices that continue to be made, but also to issue a strong and equally heartfelt appeal to please keep it up. The data that I have just reported showing what seems to be a slowing in the rate of increase in new cases does give us more cause for cautious optimism than we have had for a few weeks. I am afraid that that is always the hard part. Cases are still rising week on week, and they are currently at their highest levels since the start of the pandemic. Part of that reflects the significantly higher number of tests being conducted now compared to earlier stages of the pandemic and, indeed, compared to other parts of the UK, testing rates per head of population in Scotland recently for both PCR and LFD tests have been significantly higher than in England and Wales. However, that is reflective of the fact that, since around the time of our schools returning, our levels of infection have also been higher. That is the key fundamental point. The levels of infection across the country, albeit that we may be seeing some potential and very welcome signs of stabilisation, now remain far too high. That is why we must continue to monitor the situation very closely and be prepared as any responsible Government must be to take any targeted and proportionate action that we consider necessary to keep the country as safe as possible. Keeping the country as safe as possible means, of course, doing everything that we can to protect against serious illness and death, but it also means protecting the ability of our NHS and those who work so hard in it to not just care for Covid patients, which they do with such skill and compassion, but also to catch up on backlogs and give care to everyone who needs it for whatever reason. As I have narrated many times before, vaccination has significantly reduced the link between cases of Covid and serious health harm from Covid, and that continues to be true. The proportion of people with the virus who end up in hospital is much lower now than it was before the vaccination programme started, and that continues to be hugely positive and reassuring. However, our current case numbers reflect the fact that the delta variant is significantly more transmissible than previous strains. Just as much as vaccines have been in a very good way, delta has been a game changer in a very bad way. Even a much lower percentage of a very high number of cases will indeed already be put intense pressure on the national health service. We can see the evidence of that very clearly in the latest data on hospital and intensive care admissions and occupancy. We must remember that there is a time lag between case numbers and hospital admissions. It always takes a week or so before any improvement in the number of cases feeds through into hospital data. In the seven days up to last Friday, 785 people with Covid were admitted to hospital. That is an increase of almost 50 per cent from the week before when 530 people were admitted. As a result, hospital occupancy has also risen sharply. On Friday 20 August, there were 312 people in hospital with Covid today. There are 883. The number of people in intensive care has also increased, albeit at a slower rate, but increased from 34 on 20 August to 82 today. Of course, it is worth pointing out, as we always do, that those figures do not include other forms of serious illness. For example, people who do not require hospital treatment but suffer long Covid. That inescapable fact remains. If we do not see the rate of increase slow further and then fall, many more people will become seriously ill and, sadly, some of them will die. The NHS will come under pressure even more severe than it is already dealing with. The pressure that it is already dealing with in this point simply cannot be overstated, is already very severe. We must not let up in our efforts to stem this current wave of cases. We continue to hope—indeed, as I have just been outlining, recent data gives us a bit more of a solid basis for this hope—that we can turn the corner through continued care and caution and stringent compliance with existing mitigations and without having to reintroduce any tighter restrictions. To do that, as has been the case right throughout this whole experience, we need the help of every business and every individual across the country. We need everyone to continue to stick to the basic mitigations that we know are effective in helping to slow down transmission. Last week, Cabinet Secretary has engaged intensively with a range of representatives from business, the public sector and wider civic society. They discussed how all of us—government, employers and the wider public—must play our full part in observing and encouraging maximum compliance with current mitigations. Those include the wearing of face coverings, stringent hygiene, good ventilation and support for continued homeworking wherever possible. I am once again very grateful to everyone, including businesses, for everything that is being done to follow and promote those measures. That is making a difference. While we cannot rule anything out completely, it is also reducing the likelihood of restrictions having to be reintroduced. The Government will continue to do everything that we can to encourage compliance, for example, through continued support for test and protect, on-going investment in ventilation and carbon dioxide monitors in schools and the provision of public information and advice. We are also continuing to do everything possible to maximise vaccine uptake, both in the groups that are already eligible and through a readiness for quick implementation of any advice on the extension of vaccine eligibility. Getting vaccinated as soon as we are able remains the single most important thing any of us can do to protect ourselves and others. As of today, I can report that 4,130,841 people have had a first dose and 3,749,767 have now had both doses. That includes 95 per cent of people over 40 who are now fully vaccinated, as well as 72 per cent of 30 to 39-year-olds and 57 per cent of 18 to 29-year-olds. Three quarters of 18 to 29-year-olds have had their first dose, so the proportion in that age group who become fully vaccinated will continue to increase in light of that eight-week gap between doses. In addition, 60 per cent of 16 and 17-year-olds have had the first jag already, and that is 10 per cent of points higher than I reported this time last week. We will continue to do everything that we can to encourage more and more people to get their jag. For example, just in the last fortnight, we have written to all 16 and 17-year-olds who have not been vaccinated yet to offer appointments, although, of course, they can also attend a drop-in clinic, and we are ensuring that mobile vaccination units are deployed during university and college freshers weeks. In addition to that report on progress with the current vaccine programme, I also want to briefly update Parliament on recent advice from the JCVI on possible extensions of the programme. On Friday, the JCVI updated its analysis on offering vaccination to all 12 to 15-year-olds. The JCVI has concluded that the health benefit of vaccination for 12 to 15-year-olds does marginally outweigh any risks, but because it considers children to be at relatively lower risk of serious health harm from the virus, it has decided at this stage not to recommend that vaccination is offered to all 12 to 15-year-olds. However, and significantly, the JCVI also acknowledged that it would be appropriate for Governments in coming to a policy decision to consider any wider benefits of vaccination. For example, whether vaccinating that age group could reduce any further disruption to education. Therefore, the four UK Governments have asked our chief medical officers to undertake a rapid assessment of the latest evidence and provide advice on wider benefits. We expect to receive that advice soon, I hope, within days, and the Scottish Government stands ready to act in accordance with any recommendations that we receive. Last week, the JCVI also issued advice to the effect that people with certain health conditions that suppressed their immune systems should now be offered a third dose of vaccine. That is because two doses may not be sufficient to enable those with compromised immune systems to mount a full immune response to Covid. We are now moving to implement that advice over the next few weeks, and we will provide further information to those who are affected by that advice shortly. We still await and hope to receive it very soon, the JCVI's final advice on a more general booster programme. Again, we stand ready to implement that as soon as the recommendation is available. The third point that I want to touch on relates to vaccine certification. The Parliament, of course, will debate and vote tomorrow on the principle of a limited, targeted and proportionate system of certification as an alternative to the risk of further periods of closure for higher-risk settings. Ahead of that debate and to inform it, we will publish a paper setting out in broad terms how the scheme will operate and detailing the work that we are doing in consultation with business to finalise the detail and produce sector-specific guidance. As we debate this, it is important to bear in mind that Scotland is far from alone in considering such a scheme. Indeed, Covid certification has already been introduced by several other Governments of different political persuasions in countries right across Europe. Indeed, many countries have already gone much further than the Scottish Government is proposing. Indeed, Covid certification is becoming an increasingly common response to the exceptional circumstances that we are all facing at this stage of the pandemic. The simple fact is that neither we nor any other country has the luxury of doing nothing to keep Covid under control. The question, especially after 18 months of restrictions being in place to varying degrees, is how we do so in the most proportionate and least restrictive way possible. In the Scottish Government's view, Covid certification is a reasonable response to a very difficult situation and a much more proportionate response than any of the likely alternatives. Fundamentally, we believe that certification can help to reduce the overall harms caused by the pandemic. It will not eradicate transmission completely, but it will help to reduce it in some higher-risk settings and it will also maximise protection against serious illness. We believe, as has been seen already in some other countries, perhaps most notably in France, that it will help to encourage take-up of the vaccine. It also represents a targeted way in which we can, we hope, enable certain events and venues to continue to operate at times when rates of Covid may be high and even rising. The time that I have devoted today to vaccination reflects the fact that it remains absolutely key to our progress out of this pandemic, not just here in Scotland but across the world. For each of us as individuals, getting vaccinated remains the single most important step that any of us can take to keep ourselves safe, to keep others safe and to reduce the need for any restrictions to be reintroduced. However, the most important getting vaccinated is not the only step that all of us need to take right now, and so I will close by stressing the three key things that each of us can do as we all play our part in getting cases back under control. The first of those, as I have stressed already and as I will keep stressing, is to get vaccinated if you are eligible. If you have not been vaccinated yet or if you have had your first dose eight or more weeks ago and have not had a second dose yet, please get your jag. It is straightforward to do. There are drop-in centres in every mainland health board area or you can book an appointment. Second, please continue to test yourself regularly with lateral flow devices. You can order them free through the NHS informed website or collect them from a local test site or pharmacy. The point of regular testing is this, and it really matters. If you have the virus but you are not aware of that because you are not displaying any symptoms, taking a test gives you a chance of finding out that you have the virus before you inadvertently pass it on to others. Regular testing is a key and really important way in interrupting chains of transmission. Of course, if you test positive through one of these lateral flow devices or if you are identified as a close contact or if you have symptoms of the virus, make sure that you self-isolate and book a PCR test. Thirdly and finally, please continue to follow all the remaining rules and guidelines that are still in place. For example, it is still a legal requirement to wear face coverings in indoor public places such as shops, public transport and when entering and moving about hospitality settings. Face coverings are a simple but important and effective way in which we can help to protect each other. More generally, continue to think carefully about the number of contacts you have and perhaps reduce any that are not really necessary. Meet outdoors as much as possible. If you are indoors, open the windows. Good ventilation makes a big difference and even though it is not the law anymore, try to keep a safe distance from people in other households if you can, especially when you are indoors. In addition, try to minimise physical contact-like handshaking for the time being and wash your hands and surfaces regularly and thoroughly. Having to take these steps is frustrating but we know that they make a difference and they help to limit the spread of Covid. Indeed, as I said earlier, it may well be that we are seeing the evidence of the difference that those measures make in our most recent data. Let me end by again thanking everyone who is helping us to turn the corner in this latest wave of the virus. Please keep those efforts up so that we can continue to keep each other as safe as possible. The First Minister will now take questions on the issues raised in her statement. I intend to allow around 40 minutes for questions after which we will move on to the next item of business. It would be helpful if members who wish to ask a question were to press their request-to-speak buttons now. I call Douglas Ross. Thank you very much. Covid cases remain high and therefore it is vital that our test and protect system is operating at the top of its gaming. However, we know that this is a system that continues to be overwhelmed. Provisional figures for this week show that just over half of cases are being traced. That follows reports that contact tracers are being advised not to repeatedly call positive Covid patients if they cannot get through to them. Our NHS is struggling to cope as well. This week's A&E waiting times are at the worst levels since current records began. We are consistently hearing of dire waits for people looking to get an ambulance and people unable to see their GPs. The SNP does not seem ready to support the NHS this autumn, let alone into the winter, when we know that the problems will get even more acute. We really need to hear from the First Minister a proper plan to deal with these issues, not the PR flimsy pamphlet that the SNP Government produced earlier on this year. We are also seeing the same problems on vaccine passports. The First Minister has just promised a paper that publishing it just hours before Parliament is expected to vote on vaccine passports is not good enough. So far, there are no details and no answers to the SNP's plans. We wanted to look at the content of the First Minister's proposals, but, quite frankly, there is nothing to scrutinise. Even the promised paper in the First Minister's statement is talking about how it will finalise the proposal rather than how the scheme will operate. It will only set out, and I quote the First Minister's words, in broad terms how the scheme will operate. First Minister, broad terms are not acceptable for an issue of such importance that you want MSPs to support in just 24 hours' time. We need specifics, but we do not have them. We do not know how the scheme will be administered or enforced. We do not know if the data concerns have been fixed. We do not know if fraud risks have even been identified. We do not know what infrastructure will be needed. We do not know if the SNP will rule out extending them indefinitely or rolling them out to further venues at its short notice. We have been asking those questions for a week now and have received no answers. This is clearly a last-minute, rushed job, and the more businesses hear about the proposals, the more they agree that they are an absolute shum. First Minister, would you like Mr Ross to repeat the end of that question? Of course. I was asking, can the First Minister provide details on her scheme now, and if not, how does she expect the public to back her plans if they do not know what they are? Let me take accident emergency and vaccine certification in turn. Firstly, on test and protect, Douglas Ross has quoted figures today, as was done by others last week, that frankly do a real disservice to those working in test and protect. The publication that he has quoted, which cites provisional figures, actually tells you why it is not reliable to quote provisional figures, because the contact tracing is on-going. Therefore, it is the following week, when the figures are finalised, are the ones that matter. If you take the provisional figures last week—I think that it was Jackie Bailey that quoted them last week—the provisional figure for completed cases was 43 per cent. It is up to 55 per cent this week, but that 43 per cent that was quoted last week to do down test and protect in the finalised figure this week is 82 per cent. Therefore, it is doing a real disservice for politicians who perfectly, legitimately want to have a go at me in this Government. In doing so, they are doing down the efforts of those working in test and protect. The provisional figures for test and protect this week show—again, I stress that those are provisional figures, they will be updated and finalised next week. In this week's provisional figures, 89 per cent of cases closed within the 72-hour target of 80 per cent within 72 hours, 89 per cent in the provisional figure this week, up from 85.5 per cent in the provisional figures last week. That is an organisation that, yes, is under pressure. How could it be otherwise with the pandemic and the level of infection right now? However, it is an organisation that is working hard every single day and is playing a valuable and vital part in helping to get this country through. I think that it is wrong for figures to be quoted in a way that unfairly undermines the efforts that test and protect staff are making. Secondly, on the NHS, this Government is supporting the NHS through the recovery plan, through the resources that have been identified to back the recovery plan, as well as the overall commitment to increase NHS funding. It is interesting that this will be relevant to the point that I am about to make in relation to Covid certification. It is interesting because the plan that Douglas Ross derides here, which is the Scottish Government plan, is to increase NHS capacity by 10 per cent, backed by investment. Douglas Ross says that that is insufficient. However, yesterday, the Conservative Government at Westminster announced its own plan. I do not know whether Douglas Ross is at Westminster right now, but I suspect that he will support it in that context, because that plan was to increase NHS capacity by 10 per cent. We have Douglas Ross backing things that are done by the Conservative Government in Westminster, but criticising exactly the same things that are done here in Scotland. That takes me on to vaccine certification. We will set out the work that I have alluded to today in advance of the debate tomorrow. Parliament rightly and properly has been asked to endorse the principle. It is absolutely right and proper. It looks just like the UK Government for England. We continue to work with stakeholders to make sure that we take account of their views and concerns as we finalise the detail. In fact, we would be criticised if we were not to do that. Of course, vaccine certification has already been used in many countries across Europe and the world. What we are proposing here is being proposed by the UK Government for England. I suspect that what we are hearing from Douglas Ross is a justification for the ridiculous position that he is going to end up in, where the scheme that he is opposing in Scotland is exactly the same one that he is supporting when a Conservative Government introduces it in England. By all means, scrutinise this Government, but for goodness sake, try to have a single ounce of consistency as you do it. Members, I would ask that we cease commenting to one another across the aisles.  The 17th of December, in the last 24 hours, is a reminder that this virus has not gone away. I also want to thank our front-line NHS and care workers. They were amongst the first to get the vaccine. They safely got their second dose after four weeks. If, as some research suggests, the efficacy of the vaccine declines over time, then surely they should also be considered for inclusion in the early booster programme. Is that an issue that the First Minister can address? The three issues that were covered by the First Minister in her statement today were the vaccine passports, the JCV advice on 12 to 15-year-olds and the wider vaccination programme. We will, of course, have a wider debate on the substance of Covid passports tomorrow, and we should not allow that debate to distract from the big issues and challenges that we currently face. Although I must say that there is still limited engagement with businesses about the details of the programme and how they will work in practice. I stress that, at key moments throughout the pandemic, we have supported the Government. That is not for opposition's sake or an ideological opposition, it is about what works and what will make a meaningful difference. On the JCVI, I recognise what the First Minister says today, but I think that we should have the principle for any 12 to 15-year-old who, once the vaccine, should be entitled to get the vaccine. Let's look at the current tools. Test and protect is still far from meeting its standard. That is clearly a criticism of those who are in charge of running the system, not those who work in the system. Frankly, it does a disservice to the staff to hide behind them the very staff that you under-resource and undervalue and then come to use them as protection. If you look at the stats for the 0 to 14-year-olds in terms of the spread of the virus, it shows you the consequence of not using test and protect in our schools and the devastating impact that it has had. On vaccines, data published today shows that there are nearly 200,000 Scots who have had their first vaccine and are now past the eight-week period for eligibility for their second vaccine but have still not yet had that vaccine. Make no mistake, that is a colossal failure of the Government and the one that is putting public health at risk on a daily basis. Rather than creating new systems, what urgent action will the Government take to fix the systems that we have, to finally resource and fix test and protect and find the missing 200,000? On issues of vaccination, on those who have not had a vaccine yet who are eligible either for a first dose or who have passed the eight-week interval for their second dose, they have all been written to. We continue to make efforts to encourage and persuade those who have not been vaccinated to come forward. However, that is not a mandatory vaccination programme. Anna Sarwar appears to be again getting himself into the position where he is setting his face against Covid certification without, as far as I can tell, looking at any of the detail or considering any of the evidence from elsewhere in the world. However, he seems to be getting himself into the position where he suggests that we should have mandatory vaccination. It is a voluntary programme and we continue to encourage people to come forward. The uptake rates of this vaccine programme are incredibly high but we continue to try to get to anybody who has not come forward for vaccination so that they are encouraged to come forward and will continue to do that. On the JCVI and on the issues of who is included in a booster programme and on 12 to 15-year-olds, it is important that we base all of our decisions. I am a politician, I am not a clinician, I am not a public health expert and therefore it is important that all of our policy decisions on vaccination are rooted in evidence, either from the JCVI or in the case of 12 to 15-year-olds, possibly from our chief medical officer. If I was to second guess or just ignore any evidential base and say that we were going to vaccinate people without that, Anasarwar and others, with much legitimacy, I hasten to add, would be criticising us for doing that. We stand ready to implement any recommendations, but for the sake of the overall confidence in this programme, it is really important that who we vaccinate is rooted in that clinical and expert evidence. Anasarwar previously suggested that the Scottish Government should unilaterally decide to reduce the interval between doses in spite of the fact that we see evidence from Israel, for example, that that is not and would not have been the right thing to do. It would have reduced the effectiveness of the protection from vaccination. Secondly, on test and protect, the test and protect system is working extremely well under significant pressure. Again, just to repeat the point that I made to Douglas Ross, I think that it was Anasarwar's colleague Jackie Baillie that cited last week 43 per cent of cases, only 43 per cent being completed, knowing that she was citing provisional information. This week, the final figure for that week is 82 per cent, so you can already see that Jackie Baillie last week was talking down the performance and the achievements of test and protect. The provisional figures for this week will be finalised next week and we will see the comparison then. In terms of that WHO standard, last week 85.5 per cent provisional figure, this week 89 per cent. Again, test and protect is working exceptionally well. We have a duty to continue to support it. For Anasarwar to say that test and protect is not working in our schools, it suggests that there is a lack of understanding of what is going on in our schools. Contact tracing is being done appropriately and in a proportionate way in our schools, so that we do not have the situation that we had before the summer holidays, where lots of children have been required to self-isolate, where there was not a need for them to do that. We now have a situation that is helping to protect the population but in a way that minimises disruption to education. Finally, on vaccine certification, I will not pre-empt tomorrow's debate, but Anasarwar says that he is not taking a position of opposition for opposition's sake. I am sorry, Presiding Officer, but anybody that, at a weekend, four or five days before a debate in parliament, can decide without considering the evidence, without looking at the detail, that they come what may or are going to vote against it and, I am afraid, is indulging in opposition for opposition's sake. Alex Cole-Hamilton Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. Rising case numbers and the uptick in admissions to ICU are both extremely worrying. The contact tracing system is broken and it is not doing down our contact traces to point out how overstretched they are. Indeed, Scottish Liberal Democrats have been warning about the system approaching meltdown all summer. Our research found positive cases waiting up to a week to be interviewed. Ministers should be recruiting contact traces, not reducing the reach of that programme. Alongside vaccines, it is the single most important tool that we have to stop people from catching Covid. Will the First Minister commit to an emergency recruitment drive now for new traces? First Minister, I think that we have just in the last couple of weeks recruited 100 more. We do not do emergency recruitment drives. We recruit and support test and protect as we go along, depending on the need for the system. Alex Cole-Hamilton is right. It is not talking down test and protect staff to raise legitimate concerns. It is certainly not to scrutinise the Government. My point is that it is doing down the efforts of test and protect to cite misleading figures. Figures that suggest that it is performing at a level that is not reflective of the reality, and the 43 per cent that was cited last week that is in reality 82 per cent is a case in point. In today's report, more than 80 per cent—83 per cent—of positive cases has been interviewed within 48 hours of them being in the case management system. The WHO target in terms of the provisional figures this week being met, although they will be finalised next week. Yes, it is a system under pressure, but it is a system operating and performing well, and every one of us in this chamber owes every single one of them a deep debt of gratitude. Kenneth Gibson, to be followed by Miles Briggs. First Minister, for ailing communities' life can still be all too easily disrupted by the pandemic. Last month, 65 ferry sailings tuned from Brodick were lost over 11 days at the height of the summer season, causing massive disruption, primarily due to positive Covid-19 tests among CalMac crew members. Can the First Minister advise as to the protocols being put in place to minimise further disruption as we head into autumn and winter, not least because of reports today that many mask wearing among passengers has declined significantly in recent days? First Minister, ferry operators continue to reinforce the messages around compliance with current legislation regarding face coverings. They also have enhanced cleaning measures in place and are promoting the guidance on travelling safely on public transport. Transport Scotland continues to engage with all the lifeline ferry operators around the efforts that they are making in this regard and also on the wider resilience of the network. The recent spate of Covid-related incidents on some ferry routes and vessels is, of course, concerning, but we need to remember that, even though most restrictions have been lifted, the virus is circulating and we all need to continue to take care, as I have been setting out again today, to think about our own behaviours, whether that is at work at home or while travelling. If we all comply with all of those measures, whether on public transport or elsewhere, we will continue to bear down on the number of cases that we are seeing. A tragic death of Sarah Harding has once again highlighted the devastating impact of breast cancer and has resulted in UK cancer charities seeing over 800 per cent increase in contacts. Concerns have been expressed regarding breast cancer screening programmes here in Scotland, not potentially returning to full service for years to come, with limited options for women under 50 and over 70 to self-refer. Can I ask the First Minister when will breast cancer services across Scotland be fully restored and for women under 50 and over 70, with the history of breast cancer in their families, what referral screening pathways will now be urgently developed? This is an important issue at any time, but given the tragic death of Sarah Harding early in the week, it is uppermost in many people's and particularly many women's minds. I will ask the health secretary to write in detail and put the letter in space about the different referral pathways. One of the things that is relevant to all cancers that we are in the process of doing is establishing the first three-year already operational early diagnosis cancer centres that are intended to be an alternative to the existing urgent referral pathway to identify perhaps the less common symptoms of cancer so that there is another route in. There is a lot of work being done there. In terms of the breast screening programme—I know that because I have recently entered the eligible age group—the breast screening programme is up and running and operational. It was paused for a period at the height of the first wave of Covid but has been up and running again for some time. Work is under way. Urgent care and particular cancer care continue to be prioritised during the pandemic, but there are efforts under way in cancer care, as across all of the health service, to make sure that any backlogs are addressed as quickly as possible. Given the importance of the issue, as I said at the outset, I will make sure that further information on various referral pathways is put in space. First Minister, I note that the JCVI made the recommendation on vaccinating 12 to 15-year-olds based on being what they have called marginal gain. Many of my constituents have been in touch to ask me to put forward their concerns about their young adult children not being vaccinated and the anxieties that they have and them potentially missing more school time and being unprotected by the vaccine in those schools. I appreciate that the First Minister advises that the chief medical officer is reporting back within days with advice, but what criteria on societal impacts will be used in addition to the clinical criteria? That is an important issue. Gillian Martin's question gets to the heart of it. To be fair to the JCVI, it is constituted with expertise to allow consideration of health benefits and health risks of vaccination. That is what it has done in that respect, and that is the basis for the recommendation that it made. It is worth reiterating. It did conclude that the benefits of vaccinating this age group outwead the risks, but overall it did not think that that was sufficient to recommend vaccination for all. However, crucially, it recognised that there were wider considerations, but not considerations that the JCVI could properly take into account, but that Governments could appropriately and properly take into account. That is why the four Governments have asked our chief medical officers to do exactly that and to look at the wider benefits of possible vaccination. That will include possible minimisation of disruption to education, but that work has been undertaken by the CMOs and it is important that they are allowed to do that work independently, taking account of all of the advice that they think is relevant and taking account of all of the wider factors that they think is relevant. As I said earlier on, we expect to receive that advice quickly. I am hoping that we will receive that advice in a matter of days and as soon as we do, Parliament will be informed. John Mason to be followed by Pauline McNeill. Thank you very much. I am very grateful to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde for correcting my online vaccination record. I just wonder if the First Minister can say anything about how many people we reckon have the record wrongly recorded and what people can do about it and when we can catch up on that. I figure for how many people may have their information incorrectly recorded. I would not expect that to be a significant proportion. I will check to see whether that can be made available. More importantly, if any data on anyone's vaccination status record is incorrect, they can phone the Covid status helpline and that will be investigated and rectified as quickly as possible. To provide the helpline number, it is<PHONE_NUMBER>5. Pauline McNeill to be followed by Emma Harper. Michael Kil, chief executive officer of the Nighttime Industries Association, has warned that nightlife businesses will lose more than one-third of their trade overnight if Covid passboards are made mandatory. He also said that contrary to popular belief, much of our core market and workforce will not accept being coerced into taking the vaccine. I wonder if the First Minister could tell Parliament if she considered this viewpoint and commented on her decision in giving what the Nighttime Industries has said about the impact on their sector. What mitigation will the Scottish Government offer to the night time sector, which has been closed for over 18 months during the pandemic? There is a pretty basic reality here for all countries. We can't wave a magic wand and make Covid go away. It continues to circulate. We are about to enter a winter period where it is going to pose significant challenges for all of us. The question for all of us is not whether we can get away with doing nothing. How do we protect the country in a way that is as proportionate and at least restrictive as possible? In terms of nightclubs in the night time industry, I absolutely recognise that nobody wants to have a system of vaccine certification and nobody wants it to be in place for any longer than is necessary. However, the alternative to that, particularly in higher risk settings, is not doing nothing. The alternative to that may well be facing the situation of having to have further periods of closure of some of those higher risk settings. That is, I am afraid, the hard reality that Governments simply cannot escape. That is about what is the most proportionate thing to do to keep people safe as possible and to keep those venues open even during what is likely to be a very challenging winter period. We cannot escape that reality and we cannot escape those choices. People who argue against vaccine certification—as I say, it is working in many countries across Europe—have to then say, how do you think that we should keep those higher risk settings open as cases might increase during the winter without facing further periods of closure? I am afraid that Governments have to face those hard realities. We cannot simply put our head in the sand and ignore them. Emma Harper, to be followed by Sharon Dowie. The First Minister, as rightly and on the basis of clinical and medical advice, decided to continue the requirement of face coverings when in indoor public spaces. Could the First Minister reiterate the importance of the continued need for face coverings and their benefit in helping to stop the spread of Covid-19? Could she comment on whether there is any clinical advice that suggests that the use of FFP2 face masks and appropriately fitted face coverings—particularly as we approach winter, where people will be indoors more often—is the best way for people to protect themselves and others? Face coverings play an important part in stopping the spread, even as vaccine is rolled out. Scientific evidence shows that fabric face coverings of two or preferably three layers help to reduce transmission. Face coverings, of course, are most effective when they are fit correctly over somebody's mouth, nose and chin. The mandatory requirement to continue face coverings is subject to regular review, and we will continue to take account of scientific, social and economic factors, as well as latest clinical evidence. We consider, in clinical settings, Emma Harper related to FFP2 masks. In clinical settings, we also continue to consider the most appropriate PPE to be used, but we will continue to keep all of those requirements under review. We are legally required to make sure that any requirement is necessary and proportionate, and any changes to legal restrictions will always be scrutinised by Parliament. Sharon Dowie to be followed by Audrey Nicholl. Perhaps your microphone is down. Is your card in? I raised the subject of podiatry appointments with the First Minister previously in June, with the health secretary writing to me as well, but my constituents are still unable to access paused NHS services, not just in relation to podiatry but also dentistry. While I understand the principles of remobilised, recovered redesign, we take time to implement for many. That means potentially another six months of pain, isolation and inability to stay active. Will the First Minister provide an update on when paused NHS services will fully resume and can she also guarantee that sufficient staff and resources will be in place to ensure that there will be no shortfall in the services provided so that all patients get the treatment that they require within 12 weeks of services resuming? I will certainly undertake to provide an update. The member referred to dental services. Dental services of course continue to struggle, as many sectors do, with increased transmission but operating much more normally. Podiatry services and that will apply to a lot of other NHS services. The continued constraint on moving back to face-to-face appointments is the continued requirement around distancing to try to reduce the risk of transmission. However, the health service is progressively getting more of those services back to normal and that includes more face-to-face consultations. On podiatry in particular, I will of course ask the health secretary to give an update to his last correspondence in June. More generally, on resourcing, we have set out our commitment to NHS resourcing and we will continue to keep that under review on staffing. We have record numbers of staff in the national health service. We have a commitment to increase the staffing complement in the national health service. I have to be frank. Like many sectors of our economy right now, the health service and other public services are struggling with shortages of staff, which are largely to do with the Brexit impact and the reduction in the labour supplies that we have. Those are issues, again, that we need to grapple with in the effect of our health service, just as it is affecting food supply and other parts of our economy. Audrey Nicholl, to be followed by Ross Greer. In recent weeks, a number of my constituents have inquired about the option to double up their winter flu vaccine with a Covid booster. While JCVI advice is awaited on any requirement for a Covid booster, can the First Minister confirm if consideration is being given to administering both the winter flu vaccine and, if applicable, the Covid booster at the same time? In short, yes, we are considering all possible delivery options to make it as easy as possible for people being vaccinated but also as easy as possible for the NHS administering vaccination programmes. As I have indicated already, the JCVI is still considering evidence on benefits of booster vaccines for the wider population, so we are awaiting its final advice. The interim advice has allowed us to do some initial planning, and we are trying to make sure that that operates in as much synergy with the flu vaccination programme as possible. We are also currently working with health boards to plan the seasonal flu vaccine programme and making sure that we align those two programmes as much as possible, but that will partly be dependent on the timing of the JCVI advice on booster Covid vaccinations and the detail of that advice. We will continue to update Parliament as regularly as possible. Ross Greer, to be followed by Collette Stevenson. I have been contacted by a constituent whose child school is currently dealing with hundreds of pupil absences and a number of staff absences due to Covid. His daughter's close friend both tested positive, but despite identifying herself as a close contact, she has heard nothing from test and protect. This is a separate school from the one whose similar absence rate I raised with the First Minister last week. We know that that is happening across the country. If the First Minister believes that current guidance for schools is sufficiently reducing both disruption and infections, how the Scottish Government is ensuring that funding allocated for ventilation improvements is being used in a timely manner? On the first point about contact tracing in schools, I am not able to comment on the particular case, but there is a much more proportionate approach being taken by test and protect to identify the circumstances in which a young person is considered to be a close contact or not. Prior to the summer holidays, many young people had quite lengthy periods of isolation and therefore disruption to their education when, on reflection, that possibly was not necessary in terms of reducing the risk. It is important that we keep this under review. In the last couple of weeks, I have asked for this to be reviewed and looked at and for advice to be updated. The advice that I have is that it continues to be appropriate to have the guidance that is currently in place. However, as the situation changes, we will make sure that we keep all of the guidance that is in place under review. On the issue of ventilation and CO2 monitors, again, there is work on going with local authorities to make sure that the funding that has been provided for CO2 monitors is being used in all-school and education settings. Crucially, that is supporting what we have set out before, the process of assessment that we have asked to be completed before the October break, to decide whether there are any longer-term changes to the ventilation system that is required in schools. Again, we will report on that as regularly as possible, but the work is under way with local authorities to ensure that that is being done. Constituents have told me that online vaccine status does not record doses that were received elsewhere in the common travel area. Could the First Minister outline the steps that are being taken to resolve that? If you are a Scottish citizen and you have received one or more of your vaccinations outside of Scotland but within the common travel area, you can phone the status helpline that I mentioned a moment ago,<PHONE_NUMBER>5. On-going collaboration is taking place between Scottish Government and NHS Digital to establish appropriate data sharing agreements within the common travel area. We are working to make sure that we rectify that situation as soon as possible. Those who live in Scotland but have been vaccinated outside of Scotland or England should obtain proof of their vaccination from the country that they are vaccinated in. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Earlier today, I was able to download my record of vaccination certificate. Within a minute, I managed to create a copy where I was able to change every single detail on that certificate. That is not a particularly robust system, is it? It actually is, because the one thing that you could not change, and the thing that matters, is the QR code. You cannot change the QR code. I do not pretend to be a technical expert on all of this, but we set that out quite clearly last week. I would not advise the member to seek to travel on the forged document that he has just admitted to having, because the QR code and his ID documents will probably find him out. Stephanie Callaghan, to be followed by Evelyn Tweed. Colleagues, can we please hear the member? With new Covid cases in Lanarkshire, still the highest in Europe and with proportionally higher levels of A&E attendance and hospital admissions in Lanarkshire than other Scottish NHS areas? What additional support can the Scottish Government provide in Lanarkshire to respond to the immediate and worrying situation locally? Obviously, we continue to work with local partners. The area that Evelyn Tweed represents is hard-hit, and we continue to work with the health board there, with the local authority, and more broadly, to make sure that the situation with Covid cases is being addressed appropriately, but broader recovery is also being taken account of. The Stirling and Clotmanusure deal has been impacted by Covid, but there is work on-going with regional partners to ensure that the deal is delivered, and that work will continue. I am happy to ask the relevant minister to write to Evelyn Tweed with a full update. I think that there was a slight mistake there, because I do not think that the First Minister heard the appropriate question, because of all the noise. As our minds turn to economic recovery, it is important that we act ambitiously to unlock Scotland's potential. Can the First Minister advise what steps the Scottish Government is undertaking to ensure that the delivery of the Stirling and Clotmanusure city region deal is accelerated as a result of the pandemic? I apologise to Stephanie Callaghan and take full responsibility for getting her mixed up with Evelyn Tweed and the questions mixed up. It is my responsibility, I am not making excuses, but there is constant noise that is making it sometimes difficult for me to hear, but it is my responsibility. I apologise to Stephanie Callaghan and on Evelyn Tweed for the answer that I gave a moment ago about the work that is on-going around the deal in particular. I will make sure that update gets to her, but my apologies again to both members for that confusion, which was confusion on my part. The First Minister says that the work of test and protect is vital and hugely appreciated. Yet, two months since I first raised with her concerns of test and protect staff failing stress and overwhelmed, whistleblowers now describe the situation as staff being burnt out. Test and protect is stretched to breaking point with reports of contact tracers being told only to make two calls before closing a case in order to get through the volume of calls. Staff have also reported not failing listened to when scripts change. The First Minister also referred in previous answers to the overall number of cases being closed. However, the figures for the week ending 29 August show that only 60.5 per cent of completed contact tracing was completed within 72 hours. That is 13,330 taking over the 72 hours from the time cases were recorded on the system, not tested. I would ask her to just clarify the position on that point and, indeed, to answer what she is doing to fix test and protect and support a hard-working staff. We continue to take steps to support staff, and we will continue to do so. The staff in test and protect are working under extreme pressure. They have my gratitude, but it is more important that they have their on-going support through recruiting more staff and making sure that they have the resources that they need. The point about provisional versus finalised figures is an important one. I think that it is really important that we all understand that. I have been making the point today that it is important to wait for the finalised figures. In the ones that the member has quoted, which are the ones assessing the performance within the WHO target, what usually happens there is that the provisional figure is higher than the finalised figure. Last week's provisional figure, which was over 80 per cent, has now, in the finalised figure, come to the level that the member has cited today. However, the provisional figure today—no, it is not. I will come back to the second point in a minute. The provisional figure today is higher than the provisional figure last week. We will see the finalised figure next week, but it suggests an improvement in performance. The other figure—the one that Jackie Baillie cited last week in Douglas Ross today—is the figure for the overall number of cases being closed. What we find in that figure is that the provisional data is much lower than the finalised data. The 43 per cent last week became 82 per cent today. I know that that is complex, but it is reflective of a system that, when you report at a snapshot date, there are many cases that are still in process, so it takes a few days after that for the figure to be finalised. I encourage all members to look in detail—those who have not done so already—at those figures to understand that difference between provisional and final. It would then stop any of us using provisional figures in a way that is misleading and in a way that I am sure inadvertently does underplay and understate the performance of those who are working so hard to test and protect. I confirm that Covid vaccine certificates will be available for people who have had their first or both vaccines from those outside the common travel areas such as Canada or Australia. As I said a moment ago, if you are a Scottish citizen and you have received one or more of your vaccinations outside Scotland but within the common travel area, you should contact the helpline and that is taken account of. We are continuing to work with NHS Digital to establish data sharing arrangements within the common travel area and broader than that internationally, and those arrangements will be in place as soon as possible. If you live in Scotland but you have been vaccinated outside of Scotland or outside of England where there is already that data sharing agreement, you should obtain proof of your vaccination from the country that you were vaccinated in. That concludes the First Minister's statement Covid-19 update. There will be a short suspension before we move on to the next point of order, Julian Mackay. Presiding Officer, there is a strong point to be made from that last session of noise within the chamber over the last couple of weeks in particular. The noise level has prohibited me from participating fully as a member with a disability. I would be really appreciative if you could write to business managers in particular to set out how we can continue to make the chamber a place where everybody can participate despite their disabilities. I thank Ms Mackay for that point of order. I have several times asked members for quiet since taking up this rule when others are speaking. While we do not want a sterile holy silent chamber nor do we want it to become the norm, when members are making a contribution, others cannot hear the member properly, they cannot hear interventions and generally it makes their full participation in business very challenging indeed. I would refer members once again to the code of conduct, which urges that members treat one another at all times with courtesy and respect. It is indeed a debating chamber but it needs not to be a chamber where others are constantly speaking when members are doing their best to represent their constituents.


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Ya viwa, wakam tu this special moment when we are starting the 40 days of prayer. I'm sure you have had the 40 days of prayer. And today, 3rd May, 2022, max the beginning of a wonderful experience with the Lord. The General Conference of the Seventh Day and Vintage Church, moved by the Power of the Holy Spirit, came up with this very noble idea that the church globally would come together in these 40 days to seek the Lord in prayer. You see friends, there's no better way to be sure of your strength than to be with the Lord. There's no better way for you to experience the moving of the power of the Holy Spirit, that to secure time for prayer. As we start off this experience of 40 days of prayer, I pray that indeed you may find a place at the heart of God, where every single day you will desire to be, listen from Him and experience His presence and you shall be revived. As we start off this day, the first day, that of May, the topic that we are looking at is revival of true goodness. I am Pastor Peter Nyaga right here from Nairobi Central Sd Church. And as we begin this program, I want to invite you that we seek the Lord in prayer together. Let's pray. Gracious Father in Heaven, we thank you for the privilege of prayer. And as we begin the journey 40 days praying, Lord we invite your presence. We pray that this will not be another program, but another experience with you, another moment with you, another renewing from you. Lord, we shall be more revived and more prepared for the soon coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. And we pray that my viewer will be blessed of you and that this moment of prayer shall be the experience they are yearning to have in the next 40 days is our prayer in Jesus' name. Amen. You see, as we begin, the topic being a revive of true goodness. Of course, this will have to take us to that beautiful quote from Selected Messages Book 1, Page 121. And allow me just to use my phone to read the very beautiful text here that comes from the pen of inspiration talking about the need to pray. A revive of true goodness among us is the greatest and most urgent of all our needs. To seek this should be our first work. There must be honest efforts to obtain the blessing of the Lord. Not because God is not willing to bestow His blessings upon us, but because we are unprepared to receive it. Our heavenly Father is more willing to give His Holy Spirit to them that ask Him that there are free parents to give good gifts to their children. But it is our work by confession, humiliation, repentance and honest prayer and underlying honest prayer to fulfill the conditions upon which God has promised to grant us His blessings. Now, the blessings of God according to this quote is as a result majority of how we conduct ourselves before Him, how we relate with Him, the confessions we make of our sins, how we humiliate ourselves before Him, how we work with a heart of repentance and how we seek the Lord in prayer honestly. And she ends this quote by saying, a revival need to be expectant only in answer to prayer. Now, what does this one mean? If you do not pray, then you don't expect revival. And if you pray, then you expect revival. No, imagine this way. From this quote I see, build prayer, build revival. More prayer, more revival. And as you get more revived, we get more reformed. You see, we are guided by the text of Psalms 85. If you come along with me, Psalms 85, we are going to read verse number 6, 7 and 8 as we take a moment to pray. The word of God says in Psalms 85 verse 6 through 8, Will Thou not revive us again? That Thy people may rejoice in Thee. Powerful question. Verse number 7, Shoe us Thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us Thy salvation. Verse 8, I will hear what God the Lord will speak, for He will speak peace, and few people, and to hear sins. But let them not turn again to foley. Now, this takes these few verses here. Verse number 6, Is a question, is a desire, is a prayer, Will Thou not revive us? The man of God David knew the place of revival in our salvation. There's no salvation that we will attain if we will not be revived. The vision being when sin came, we all sank into sin. We fell short of the glory of God, and salvation through Christ Jesus brings us back to God. And so because we have the privilege of the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, what we call sanctification every day, that is six to make us have a genuine walk with God as we being revived every day, being re-energized every day, being moved from one glory to another, getting more connected with the Lord, getting a desire to sit at the feet of Jesus every single day. This is what we are calling revival, a desire to stop certain ways of your life and desire to have virtues of life where you seek to fulfill the will of God. Now, the quote that we learned from Selected Messages, Book 1, intimate that, then this will not be possible until we shall seek the Lord in prayer. At this moment, this experience of 40 days of prayer is basically to give us an experience with the Lord. But I also know something about the power of prayer. I have experience in my life where never I pray something happens. I have hand testimonies of people of God sharing what happens when they pray.  God brings issues and challenges and events and that image just reach out to you. And I can tell you for sure one of the things God has done this particular season is to bring about the experience of 40 days of prayer just to bless you, just to come close to you, just to draw you closer to him, just to give you high experience in this life. It is my prayer that as you seek him in these 4 days of prayer it shall not be a program but an experience with God. The first number 7 is to ask the mercy of the Lord and grant us salvation. We need the mercy of the Lord. We have just come from a difficult experience of COVID-19, 2 years of lockdown and economic turmoil. We are still recovering from that and many people have been affected and we are still struggling from every part of the world. We are faced with a war in Ukraine and Russia and we are not sure of what is going to happen tomorrow. It is a moment that we need the mercy of God and the man of God David says shoot us the mercy of the Lord and grant us salvation. Mercy God understands our language when we sit before him. It is when we are done on our knees in prayer that our hearts are connected with the heart of God and God seeks to understand our purposes in this life. Verse number 8 ends by saying I will hear what God, the Lord will speak. The moment of prayer is not just a moment of revival it is not just a moment of experiencing the mercy of the Lord but also is an experience is a moment for you to listen as God speaks. He says I will hear what God, the Lord will speak. So in this 4 days of prayer I am praying that you may have a moment every single day to hear from God and I will be here with you and for you that to allow you to listen to the Word of God. But I want to challenge you more in your own time, out of your own place take a moment with the Word of God and listen to what God has to speak to you because there are certain things you will speak to you in these 40 days that he has never spoken to you and listen to me and you are going to give a testimony there are things God is going to review in your life in this experience of 4 days of prayer that he has never done before because whenever God speaks to us he speaks good things to us he speaks new things to us he speaks hopes to us he speaks peace to us and he even says here I will hear what God, the Lord will speak for he will speak peace and his people and we sit as we pray in this very first day of the 4 days of prayer I pray that God may speak peace in your life see when God says peace be still if God speaks peace be still indeed there will be peace in your life at this moment I want to invite you as we pray that whatever challenge you are going through it could be economic situation in your life it could be marriage issues it could be your family issues your children or your parents it could be health challenges in your life whatever it could be I want to let you know that God is able and willing to speak peace in your life just listen to him and come before him in faith because he rewards those who come to him in faith who do you want as we start this 4 days of prayer to start it in faith believing that whatever we ask of him in Christ Jesus shall be granted and so wherever you are just pause and share something with God this moment just share something with God just look into your life and your heart and share something brief with God this is what I give to you today that you may take for me and give me strength give me peace give me hope give me salvation revive me and reform me let's pray together our gracious Father in Heaven thank you so much for the privilege of prayer that you have prepared for us 4 days experience like that of Jesus Christ when was in the wilderness after baptism 4 days Lord we thank you and I know for sure that this experience shall not be in vain after this experience it doesn't matter what kind of temptation shall come just like it was for Jesus we shall overcome in Christ Jesus Lord I take this moment to pray for sins whatever we may have done before you Lord we are men and women so weak yet we love you Lord I am praying for your grace to be sufficient I am praying for a cleansing that comes from you that you shall cleanse us and wash us clean from all man of unrighteousness and accept us Lord before you and for you the Lord whatever potential we shall bring to you these 4 days of prayer it shall be answered by you according to the riches in glory this first day of the 4 days of prayer I want to commit my dear viewer to you my father as we have seen from the text of David in the book of Psalms that you are seeking to revive us that we are here to receive your mercy but we are also here that we may listen and hear what you are saying and you are going to speak peace to us my father whatever challenge the struggles, tribulations conflict or whatever issues could be in in our lives I am praying and speaking peace in Jesus name Lord may you come and give your children peace may you give them understanding that doesn't matter what the experience is this moment it shall be well if Christ is invited in it and so Lord we begin with you we seek for truly an experience with you like that of Moses we seek for an experience with you that we shall say after we worked for this 40 days see what has happened of us because they know that is something unique you are preparing for my viewer that this 40 days of prayer shall not be just a program but a testimony because of what you are purpose to do just for them in this 4 days of prayer Lord I pray for myself that you shall revive me you shall reform me my father I need you this time more than another time I need you my father to guide me my understanding my steps and my desires that I shall be truly your servant and as I lean this church and I say as I reach out to many other people out here the Lord your blessing shall be upon me bless my fellow pastors Lord I pray for my colleague pastors of pastor Jacko Garrett pray for my pastor Tyro Stephen Lord together with their families as we join together in this 40 days of prayer I truly pray that you shall revive us and show us what you expect of us and that we shall have an experience with you even more than we have ever experienced before thank you Lord thank you for this experience thank you for this privilege we pray all these things in Jesus name amen amen thank you my dear viewer thank you for being part of this ministry I'm glad that you have a privilege and opportunity to watch this video I pray if it blesses you share with as many people as you can invite people to come for the experience of 40 days of prayer now as we join it on just choose 7 people think through and get 7 people that we shall be praying for in these experience of 40 days of prayer if you pray for them perhaps in the first 7 days you can choose to get another list of 7 however you can choose but let's see how many people we are able to pray for in this season of 40 days of prayer day 1, 3 or may 22 revive us revive us that we may be reformed according to God's word revival of true godness may God bless you bless me, bless us all let's meet tomorrow thank you