Nicola Sturgeon has asked the UK Government not deploy its new “stay alert” message in Scotland, she said.
The First Minister said the advice from her government remains to “stay at home” other than for buying food, getting medicine, going to work (if necessary), helping a vulnerable person or exercising.
However, she confirmed that from Monday, Scots would be allowed to go out for exercise, such as walking, cycling or running, as many times a day as they wish.
No other changes will be made to Scotland’s lockdown rules for now, the FM said, speaking at Sunday’s Scottish Government briefing.
ADVERT
She slammed as “vague and imprecise” the UK Government’s new “stay alert” messaging campaign, initially leaked to Sunday newspapers.
The First Minister added that she should not be learning of the plans of UK ministers in the press when all the nations of the UK are supposed to be taking a four-nation approach to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The First Minister said 'mixed messages' over lockdown restrictions in Scotland could squander the progress made in reducing the spread of coronavirus. https://t.co/Wt9xaHPcV1pic.twitter.com/sfhIHkVDKi
She said the current “stay at home” slogan is clear, and said switching to “stay alert” would mean her “failing in her duty” as First Minister to give clear public health messages – warning the results could be “catastrophic”.
“I don’t know what ‘stay alert’ means,” she added, going on to say she would not have a clear answer for people if they asked her if it meant they still had to stay at home.
ADVERT
Sturgeon told Scots the lockdown had to remain firmly in place and that she does not want additional businesses to open or for people to start returning to work.
She stated: “We mustn’t squander our progress by easing up too soon or sending out mixed messages.”
The First Minister spoke to the Prime Minister, along with other leaders of the devolved nations, in a Cobra phone meeting – ahead of Boris Johnson’s address to the nation on the lockdown on Sunday evening.
She said some of the measures the PM is expected to announce, such as placing all travellers into the UK in self-quarantine for two weeks, will be Britain-wide.
But in devolved areas, like public health, Sturgeon stressed: “Boris Johnson must be clear that some of what he is saying applies to England and not to Scotland.”
She added: “We should not be reading of each others plans for the first time in newspapers.”
The leaders of all the devolved nations in the UK have unanimously rejected the “stay alert” message in favour of “stay at home”.
ADVERT
Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford, said the “stay home” message has not changed in Wales and Arlene Foster, Northern Ireland’s FM, also said the nation will continue to use the “stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives” slogan.
It is “unlikely” that any part of Scotland will be moved to level zero from June 28, Nicola Sturgeon has said.
Speaking at the Scottish Parliament, the First Minister indicated that restrictions will be maintained for a further three weeks from that date in order to vaccinate more people.
Sturgeon explained that cases in Scotland had risen by a fifth in the last week, and are now more than five times higher than in early May.
It comes a day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a delay of four weeks to the planned lifting of lockdown across England.
ADVERT
“We are hopeful that vaccination is changing the game in our fight against the virus, but the emerging evidence still needs close analysis,” said Sturgeon.
“More fundamentally, we need time to get more people vaccinated with both doses. In the race between the virus and vaccines, we are increasingly confident that vaccines will win, but we mustn’t allow the virus to get too far ahead.
“The vaccination programme is going exceptionally well and it is being rolled out just as quickly as supplies allow, but there is still a significant proportion of the population that isn’t yet fully vaccinated.
“To be blunt, that remains our biggest vulnerability at this stage – and it is a significant one. So, we need to buy sufficient time for vaccination to get ahead, and that is the reason for caution at this juncture.”
ADVERT
Sturgeon acknowledged the difficulty of the situation, whilst indicating that a paper on how restrictions will look after level zero in the lockdown easing route map will be published on Tuesday.
She said: “I know the current situation is difficult and frustrating for everyone. We all want to see the back of all restrictions as soon as possible.
“However, while this setback is not easy, it is worth remembering that we are living under far fewer restrictions now than was the case a few weeks ago.
“The current situation is not what any of us want – but equally it is not lockdown. And vaccination is – with every day that passes – helping us change the game.”
Official figures published on Tuesday show that Scotland has recorded two coronavirus deaths and 974 new cases in the past 24 hours.
It brings the death toll under this measure, of people who first tested positive for the virus within the previous 28 days, to 7,683.
There were 137 people in hospital on Monday with recently confirmed Covid-19, up from 128 on Sunday.
ADVERT
Seventeen people were in intensive care, no change on the day before.
So far 3,531,461 people have received the first dose of a Covid vaccination and 2,470,181 have received their second dose.
However, the Scottish Government said that Public Health Scotland experienced IT issues which had an impact on the extraction of vaccination data on June 15.
It said Tuesday’s figures may be an underestimate, and any missing data will be reported in tomorrow’s figures.
Scotland’s only great-great-great-gran welcomes 90th grandchild
Mary Marshall's family has become one of the only in the UK with six generations alive at the same time.
Olive Loveridge-Greene via SWNS
By STV News
Share via
A family have become one of the only in the UK with six generations alive at the same time – with one becoming Scotland’s only great-great-great-grandma aged 86.
The family stretches from oldest member Mary Marshall, 86, to youngest member Nyla Ferguson, who is just a couple of weeks old.
Mother-of-eight Mary, born four years before the start of World War Two, boasts 90 grandchildren.
The women are all on the same side of the family – and all except new mum Toni-Leigh – work or worked as carers for the NHS.
ADVERT
All gave birth aged 18 or younger, resulting in the super-sized happy family and live in or around Edinburgh.
Olive Loveridge-Greene via SWNS
Great-great-great-grandma Mary Marshall welcomes baby Nyla Ferguson to the family
Olive Loveridge-Greene via SWNS
Head of the family Mary has eight children including eldest daughter Rose.
Rose Thorburn, 68, has four children including mum-of-three Chyrel Borthwick, 50.
Chyrel gave birth to mum-of-four Carrie Dow in 1986.
ADVERT
Carrie, 35, has four children, including new mum Toni-Leigh Aitken, 17.
And on May 25 2021, Mary earned herself the title of Scotland’s only great-great-great grandma with the birth of 6lb 14oz Nyla Ferguson.
Due to the size of her family, Mary says she is forgiven for not buying each and every member a birthday and Christmas present as she’d spend “half the year doing so”.
Mary said: “I’m a lucky woman to be honest with you. It’s great to have such a big family. There’s always someone there looking out for you. I’m incredibly happy.”
Olive Loveridge-Greene via SWNS
Toni-Leigh gave birth to baby Nyla two weeks ago. Olive Loveridge-Greene via SWNS
New mum Toni-Leigh, who gave birth to the newest member of the family last month, said: “When we found out I was pregnant we did make a joke about us breaking some sort of record.
“Then we started looking into it and it doesn’t look like anyone else has our family set-up.
“It’s a bit too early to see a resemblance to her great-great-great-grandma but it was love at first sight when they met!
ADVERT
“We live no longer than a ten to 15 minute drive away from one another so we see each other.
‘When we found out I was pregnant we did make a joke about us breaking some sort of record. Then we started looking into it and it doesn’t look like anyone else has our family set-up.’
New mum Toni-Leigh
“We haven’t had a big do with the entire family since the pandemic but when we do it’s great fun!
“There’s 90 grandchildren now with Nyla so it’s always pretty loud!”
Rose, 68, said: “It’s great when you have a new baby. I’m one of eight so I’ve always had a big family in some sense.
“But now we’re pretty big! I haven’t heard of any other family of this size in Scotland.
“Whenever we get together there’s always fun and laughs. There’s always someone there for you.”
The family are believed to be the only family in Scotland with six generations alive at the same time.
According to Guinness World Records the most generations alive in a single family has been seven.
Indiana Jones movie crew film high speed chase in Highlands
Footage shows stunt actors racing on motorbikes through the village of Glencoe.
SWNS via SWNS
By STV News
Share via
The Indiana Jones movie crew have been spotted filming a high speed motorbike chase through the Highlands.
The plot of the new Indiana Jones 5 has been kept tightly under wraps.
However, photos of stunt actors racing on motorbikes through the village of Glencoe give a first insight into the secret plot of the new film.
Two stunt workers can be seen racing each other on motorbikes which appear to be from the World War Two era, behind a vehicle with a large camera rig.
ADVERT
A third can then be seen joining the two, riding what looks like a Harley Davidson motorbike, appearing to give the actors directions.
The scene was being filmed earlier this month with the stunning backdrop of the Buachaille Etive Mor mountain behind the speeding bikes.
Tony Featherstone, 40, was returning home from a wild camping trip and had pulled into a layby for breakfast when he spotted the high speed chase.
He,said: “I was enjoying breakfast whilst looking up at the beautiful Buachaille Etive Mor when I noticed the road was being closed on either side periodically to stop traffic.
ADVERT
“Each time the traffic was stopped, two motorbikes would travel down the road alongside a vehicle with a large camera rig attached to it.
“They’d stop at carparks on each side before getting off the bikes and interacting with the crew.
“At times, there was someone on a third bike – a Harley Davidson, I think – but this guy just seemed to be giving directions to the two actors.
“The scene involved two people – a man and a woman – and the focus of this seemed to be to capture them racing alongside the Buachaille Etive Mor mountian.
“As well as the camera vehicle, there was also a drone capturing aerial footage at times too.
“We were right in the middle of the shoot. No one else was being allowed through during filming but because we were already there, we couldn’t move, so we stayed and took photos for around 40 minutes.”
Sturgeon condemns UK Government over border failings
The FM said there is 'no doubt' that too lax controls over UK border arrangements had played a part in the current situation.
Fraser Bremner/Daily Mail via PA Media
Gove was condemned by Sturgeon for refusing "point blank" to agree on provisions which would have required those travelling onto Scotland via English airports to have to quarantine. Fraser Bremner/Daily Mail via PA Media
Nicola Sturgeon has criticised the UK Government for a lack of robust border controls leading to a rise in the Delta Covid-19 variant.
The First Minister said there is “no doubt” that too lax controls over UK border arrangements had played a part in the situation the country is currently in.
It comes after delays to lockdown were announced for England by Boris Johnson on Monday, whilst Sturgeon on Tuesday indicated that restrictions would not be lifted in Scotland until into July.
The delays have been attributed largely to concern over the Delta variant, which originated in India, which is estimated as the cause of more than 90% of new cases in the UK.
ADVERT
It prompted Labour to accuse the UK Government of incompetence over its handling of Covid variants, saying that lax border policies led to the Delta variant entering the country.
Speaking at the Scottish Parliament, Sturgeon said her government had pleaded with UK ministers for greater controls to be put in place.
“There is no doubt, and I don’t think I am the only person that will say this, that the lack of very robust border controls in recent months has I think been a factor in the situation that we’re dealing with right now and that is deeply frustrating,” she told MSPs.
“We are where we are, so we have to all of us take our responsibility for navigating our way through this.
ADVERT
“But, if we cast our minds back to mid-February, the Scottish Government decided to insist on mandatory managed quarantine for all direct arrivals into Scotland, regardless of what country they came from, so that would have included India.
“At that time, despite our pleading, the UK Government only insisted on managed quarantine for red-listed countries and it took until the latter part of April to put India on the red list.”
Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove earlier on Tuesday defended the actions taken by the UK Government over its timing for putting India on the red list.
He told Times Radio: “We can always look back and wish that we’d done things differently but we operated on the basis of facts that we had at the time, and India was placed on the red list before the Delta variant was a … variant of concern.
“And again, you know, the decisions that ministers, that doctors, that scientists have to take can never be made with perfect knowledge.”
Gove was condemned by Sturgeon for refusing “point blank” to agree on provisions which would have required those travelling onto Scotland via English airports to have to quarantine.
She said: “I’ve said many times, people have heard me say it, that that left us with a serious vulnerability of people coming into the UK to English airports and travelling to Scotland and therefore not being caught by our managed quarantine arrangements.
ADVERT
“We pleaded with the UK Government to put common provisions in place across the UK, but we also pleaded with them to introduce a situation where people coming into an English airport, but intending to go to Scotland, would be made to quarantine at the point of arrival.
“Michael Gove, I think, wrote to the transport secretary back in February refusing point blank to do that. They wouldn’t, and I’m quoting, ‘legally treat people differently in England based on their final destination within the UK’.
“So, I do have a deep frustration about this, but we are where we are and we have to deal with this, but there is no doubt at all that too lax border controls around the whole of the UK have played a part in where we are right now.”
Teachers will have the “final and ultimate” say on what grades pupils will receive, Scotland’s education secretary has pledged.
Shirley-Anne Somerville said that if a teacher determines that a young person should have an A, then that is the result they should have.
Earlier this month, the Scottish Government set out the new assessment system which will allow pupils to directly submit grade appeals.
It comes after exams were cancelled for senior-phase school pupils for the second year in a row due to restrictions brought by the pandemic.
ADVERT
Speaking on STV’s Scotland Tonight, Somerville acknowledged the problems with the system in place last year.
“We did have a difficulty last year where we had an algorithm that took into account previous attainment within a school. That’s not what’s happening this year,” she said.
“I think it’s important to take this opportunity to reassure young people that if your teacher, when they look at the assessments you’ve had, determine that you should have an A, then an A is what you should have.
“We have a quality assurance process that allows schools to look at what’s happened in previous years, teachers can then have a look at that and see if there’s been changes year to year.
ADVERT
“But, very importantly it’s up to the teacher, and if the teacher decides their decisions to begin with were the correct decision then nobody changes that – not the school, not the local authority, not the SQA and certainly not anyone else.
“The teacher has the final and ultimate say on what that grade should be.”
Somerville said that no-one will “interfere” in the process of determining grades received by pupils.
She said: “They (teachers) can look at historical data to see what’s happened in the past but I trust that teachers are the professionals we know they all are.
“So they can have an eye to that, but if they’re looking at an individual’s assessments… and we can absolutely reassure young people that if your teacher determines you were deserving of an A based on your demonstrated attainment, then an A is what your teacher will give you and no-one will interfere with that process.”
Asked if she is prepared to guarantee that the results process will run smoothly, she added: “I believe that we have a fair and a credible system that young people can have faith in and we’re determined to deliver that for the sake of our young people that have had an exceptionally difficult year.”
“We didn’t come here to learn but you still have to learn your lessons.”
Steve Clarke may be experienced enough not to get completely schooled at international level, but his side’s 2-0 loss to Czech Republic was a fairly brutal reminder that a developing Scotland side still requires further education.
The Scotland manager isn’t one to get unnecessarily carried away with either victory or defeat and his assessment of Monday’s defeat was typical Clarke.
He was right in his assessment that the 2-0 scoreline didn’t reflect the chances Scotland created and he was correct that Patrik Schick had to be given credit for his wonderful long-distance goal.
ADVERT
Nobody could argue with his statement that the team could have been more clinical in the opposition box, or that they had enjoyed good spells in possession. But fans arriving at Hampden questioned Clarke’s team selection before the game, and they left doubting his tactics after promise turned to deflation and disappointment.
The lesson may be that caution has proven costly on day one and a bolder approach might be needed to salvage hopes of progress.
Ross Parker via SNS Group
The atmosphere at Hampden was electric before kick-off. Ross Parker via SNS Group
There’s no question that the headline from the team news – that Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney was injured and hadn’t made the squad – came as a blow to all involved and had a bearing on the team’s performance.
Clarke has spoken often about how the downside of international football is the lack of time working with players on the training field. To have had the relative luxury of a long training camp in the build-up to a crucial game, drawing up plans around Tierney and the drive he brings from the left side of the three-man defence, only to lose him with only two days to rethink, would have been a hard one for the meticulous planner to take.
ADVERT
It left Scotland working to plan B before a ball had been kicked.
What the manager and his coaching staff set out at Hampden was what they felt was their next best option, but it failed to deliver and the lessons Clarke referred to will have to be dealt with before the formidable task of facing England at Wembley.
As much as he publicly spoke of positives to take, in truth, the head coach will be considering the questions posed in every area of his team on Monday.
The first he considers might be regarding his goalkeeper. Years down the line, this is the game that’ll be remembered for Patrik Schick scoring from over 45 yards, with the lasting image being of goalkeeper David Marshall entangled in his own net.
Ross Parker via SNS Group
Marshall untangles himself from the net. Ross Parker via SNS Group
Marshall’s took national hero status after helping Scotland qualify but the drama of that moment obscured the fact that, with strong rivals in the squad, his place isn’t secure. If his positioning is found wanting, and his confidence is shaken, then Clarke may consider a switch on Friday and a return for Craig Gordon.
However, Schick said after his goal that he had noticed Marshall was consistently high up the field, and Clarke spoke about how “in normal circumstances he’s looking to sweep up behind the defence”.
If the keeper’s high position is considered to be part of the game plan, rather than a clear misjudgement, he won’t be replaced for doing his job. If it was a costly aberration, he may decide Gordon will be wearing the gloves when the teams walk out at Wembley.
ADVERT
It’s in front of the goalkeeper that the most glaring questions lie.
Hendry’s decision to shoot from distance before the second goal aside, the three central defenders acquitted themselves reasonably well, though Tierney’s fitness for Friday would see him go straight back into the side. In fact, the importance of the Arsenal defender means that even if it’s a gamble, it’s one that has to be taken. On the right flank though, an obvious and pressing question would be around who starts against England.
Stephen O’Donnell has put in the hard yards for Scotland over the last few years and hasn’t let himself down in his 18 caps, but on the biggest stage he looked nervy. From the moment that a simple pass squirmed away from him and out for a throw-in in the early moments, it was clear he was going to have a tough day.
Ross Parker via SNS Group
Stephen O’Donnell and Scott McTominay hold a mid-match post-mortem. Ross Parker via SNS Group
The prospect of the Motherwell defender being exposed by Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling on Friday is one that must give the coaching team cause for concern. You can bet that Gareth Southgate’s staff have identified the position as one of maximum opportunity. If Nathan Patterson is in the squad with a view to competing, he will feel he has reason to believe he can deliver where O’Donnell struggled. James Forrest would even be a option, even if the Celtic star is more out and out attacker than wing-back.
But it could be time to take a risk and look to Patterson. If there’s reluctance over throwing the Rangers youngster, who already has European experience, into such a huge fixture, it’s worth noting that he wouldn’t be the first teenager to take to the field at Euro 2020, or the second. He wouldn’t even be the third or fourth.
Clarke was always likely to tweak his line-up to counter each opponent, but against the Czechs it seemed like the tailor-made approach misfired. Lyndon Dykes proved a handful against the same opposition last year and his physicality was something Scotland tried to exploit. For all his willingness to do the running, and compete manfully for every ball in the air, he didn’t win many and, in front of goal, he was far from ruthless.
Che Adams applauds the Tartan Army at full-time.
The introduction of Che Adams showed that he possesses quality Dykes doesn’t yet have and the Southampton man has to start against England, whether alongside his fellow forward or as a replacement. Any chances to get behind John Stones and Tyrone Mings have to be exploited and it’s clear Adams is the man Scotland want in the danger areas.
What won’t bring success is the direct approach that saw many a long ball launched towards Dykes. Adams looks to exploit space and will benefit from the ball being played through midfield and not over it. If there’s one lesson to be learned from the pain of Monday, it’s that there’s no point boasting Premier League midfielders if the area is bypassed completely.
Scott McTominay and John McGinn can compete against England’s stars, but only if Scotland show the composure to get the best out of them. A determination to put everything down the flanks, particularly on the left, where Andy Robertson excelled, cast McGinn as a strangely peripheral figure in the heart of his own team.
The initial pace of play didn’t help Scotland at Hampden, the breakneck speed possibly down to an excess of nervous energy. After 23 years in the wilderness, that high-strung reaction might be understandable but a game against England at Wembley is another high-octane fixture on any day and cool heads will be needed.
Alan Harvey via SNS Group
Andy Robertson’s performance was a positive for Scotland. Alan Harvey via SNS Group
Alongside the frustration of seeing mistakes punished so ruthlessly against the Czechs was a sense that the game had been approached with an excess of caution and reliance on what had been done before. The history of the game against England shows that it doesn’t reward timidity or conservative choices,.
Clarke and his staff have only a few days to absorb the lessons from opening day. Bold answers to the questions it raised may yet see the team survive to learn another day.
A Highland community is considering a ballot on whether it should “opt out” of the North Coast 500 tourist trail.
Patience is running thin among some of the population of Applecross in Wester Ross.
The area has enjoyed a massive windfall from lifeline tourism but its soaring popularity has caused mounting traffic problems on narrow and fragile roads.
It has also had its share of so-called “dirty tourism” courtesy of a minority of inconsiderate visitors littering and fouling the surrounding countryside.
ADVERT
The peninsula’s stunning scenery has made Applecross and the dramatic and twisty Bealach na Ba mountain pass must-see places along the 516-mile NC500 route.
lucentius via IStock
The Bealach na Ba mountain pass near Applecross is popular with North Coast 500 tourists. lucentius via IStock
But it has added a vast volume of vehicles since the project was launched six years ago – and the response to desperate pleas for improved infrastructure has been slow.
Moat-like ditches were dug at some spots earlier this year in an attempt to deter motorhomes from parking in environmentally sensitive places. Signs were erected warning of “dirty camping”.
Social networks are buzzing with local messages about the possibility of a poll of residents on whether Applecross should “seek to be removed from the NC500 official route”.
ADVERT
The community council website acknowledges how tourism “is undoubtedly a large generator of wealth and employment,” but also brings “significant impacts in areas such as waste management, traffic volumes, littering and pollution.”
It says the NC500 “has, perhaps, exacerbated some of these problems.”
Local councillors also acknowledge that the limited resources of the emergency services and Highland Council make it impossible to address the problems overnight.
Applecross Community Council chairman John Glover said: “Referendums don’t necessarily solve anything. We need to come to a balanced view as to the positive and negative aspects of the thing.
“It’s not that we don’t want the NC500, it’s just that the infrastructure isn’t here to cope.”
Referencing the talked about proposition of “opting out” of the NC500, Judy Fish, at the village’s Applecross Inn, said: “The stable door is open and the horse has bolted.”
She agreed that the area’s basic infrastructure urgently requires an upgrade.
ADVERT
Tom Campbell, chairman of North Coast 500 Ltd – a privately funded company growing the brand – said: “We’re pleased that the community council have begun a discussion on tourism and visitor management, as it’s important that communities engage with residents, businesses, visitors and stakeholders.
“One of the key stakeholders responsible for infrastructure is Highland Council and we’re very encouraged that it agreed a visitor management plan for 2021.
“It looks strategically to the next five years as well as having a complementary tourism infrastructure plan which aims to identify the longer term tourism infrastructure requirements of the region.”
Two arrested over suspicious device following terror probe
The arrests in Edinburgh follow a three-year counter terrorism investigation.
STV News
Police cordoned off an area of Granton Road, Edinburgh. STV News
By Gianni Marini
Share via
A man and a woman have been arrested following an almost three-and-a-half-year counter terrorism investigation into the discovery of a suspicious device left in Edinburgh.
The package in Princes Street Gardens was found by a council park ranger on January 11, 2018, before police shut down the scene.
Police have now confirmed a 35-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman have been arrested in connection with the device.
The arrests follow an investigation by the force’s counter terrorism unit in partnership with European law enforcement agencies.
STV News
There was a large police presence at Broughton Rugby Club on Granton Road, Edinburgh. STV News
ADVERT
An area around the Broughton Rugby Club and Wardie playing fields next to Wardie Primary School was closed off by officers carrying out a “pre-planned and intelligence-led” operation.
Another operation was also conducted at King George IV Bridge. Police Scotland said there is no wider risk to the community.
Wardie Primary School sent text messages to parents to warn them to make use of the main entrance as the gate through the car park was closed off while police cordon off the area.
Detective chief superintendent Stuart Houston, Police Scotland’s head of organised crime and counter terrorism said: “Since the discovery of the item, officers from Police Scotland’s Counter Terrorism Unit have carried out extensive enquiries, including with European partners and law enforcement agencies.
ADVERT
“They have been absolutely committed to this protracted and challenging inquiry to identify those believed to be responsible. This has resulted in the arrest of two people today.”
Chief superintendent Sean Scott, Police Scotland’s divisional commander for Edinburgh, added: “Enquiries by Police Scotland are ongoing and I want to reassure the public that the activity in Granton Road and on King George IV Bridge was pre-planned and intelligence-led.
“You will see an increased police presence, however, there is no wider risk to the community.”
Antibody tests that can detect whether people have been exposed to new variants of Covid-19 have been developed by the University of Aberdeen.
The tests, created in collaboration with biotechnology group Vertebrate Antibodies Ltd and NHS Grampian, can detect antibody responses to infection by SARS-CoV-2 virus with more than 98% accuracy and 100% specificity.
This is in contrast to currently available tests that are around 60-93% accurate and cannot differentiate unique variants.
For the first time, the new tests can be used to estimate the prevalence of circulating variant strains in the community, including the variants first identified in Kent and in India, now known as the Alpha and Delta variants.
ADVERT
The tests can also assess the long-term immunity of an individual and whether immunity is vaccine-induced or is a result of previous exposure to the infection.
In addition, the tests can also provide information that can be used to estimate the duration of the immunity provided by the vaccine as well as the effectiveness of the vaccine on emerging variants.
This is an improvement on the currently available tests that struggle to detect variants and give little or no information on the impact of virus mutations on vaccine performance.
Professor Mirela Delibegovic from the University of Aberdeen and academic lead on the project said: “Accurate antibody tests will become increasingly important in the management of the pandemic and this is a truly game-changing technology with the potential to dramatically change the trajectory of global recovery from the pandemic.”
ADVERT
Professor Delibegovic worked alongside industry partners, Vertebrate Antibodies and colleagues in NHS Grampian to develop the new tests using the innovative antibody technology known as Epitogen.
Funded by the Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office Rapid Response in COVID-19 (RARC-19) research programme, the team used artificial intelligence called EpitopePredikt, to identify specific elements, or ‘hot spots’ of the virus that trigger the body’s immune defence.
The researchers were then able to develop a new way to display these viral elements as they would appear naturally in the virus, using a biological platform they named EpitoGenTechnology.
This approach enhances the test’s performance which means only relevant viral elements are included to allow improved sensitivity. Importantly, this approach is capable of incorporating emerging mutants into the tests thus enhancing the test detection rates.
As well as Covid-19, the EpitoGen platform can be used for the development of highly sensitive and specific diagnostic tests for infectious and auto-immune diseases such as Type 1 Diabetes.
Dr Tiehui Wang, Director of Biologics at Vertebrate Antibodies Ltd, said: “We are extremely proud that our technologies have made such a contribution in a very challenging year.
“The EpitoGen tests are the first of their kind and will play a significant role in combating the pandemic and pave the way for future diagnostics”.
ADVERT
Professor Delibegovic added: “As we move through the pandemic we are seeing the virus mutate into more transmissible variants such as the Delta variant whereby they impact negatively on vaccine performance and overall immunity.
“Currently available tests cannot detect these variants. As the virus mutates, existing antibody tests will become even less accurate hence the urgent need for a novel approach to incorporate mutant strains into the test – this is exactly what we have achieved.
“Looking ahead, discussions are already underway to explore a possible roll-out of the tests to the NHS which we hope to see happen soon.”