NICOLA Sturgeon has hailed a Covid vaccine breakthrough as “light at the end of the tunnel”, but warned people not to drop their guard against the virus.

The First Minister said the report of a 90 per cent effective vaccine against coronavirus was a long overdue piece of good news.

She said: “This news should give us all some tentative hope today and, let’s be honest, all of us could do with that. So hold on to that hope today, but also use it as a motivation.”

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With some public scepticism about vaccines, she also insisted she would have “absolutely no hesitation” in taking a jab that it had cleared all its safety hurdles.

But she was unable to say what level of vaccine take-up would be needed before lockdown restrictions can end, given the possibility of anti-vaxxers still getting infected and being a strain on the NHS.

Ms Sturgeon was speaking shortly after Pfizer and BioNTech reported their joint vaccine had been found to prevent more than 90% of people catching Covid.

After tests on 43,500 people in six countries with no safety concerns raised, the firms described their trial results as “a great day for science and humanity”.

The vaccine uses part of the virus’s genetic code to train the body’s immune system to attack the real thing if there is an infection.

Pfizer said it hoped to supply 50m doses by 2021 and around 1.3bn by 2022.

The UK has ordered 10m doses this year and a further 30m after that.

Speaking at the daily briefing at which she announced 912 cases and one death confirmed overnight, Ms Sturgeon welcomed the news but also stressed the need for continued vigilance against Covid.

She said: “It may not be all that visible at the moment, but there is light at the end of this tunnel, and don’t forget that.

“We’ve heard this morning about… one of the vaccines being developed by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, which has been trialled in other countries across the world.

“The early indication is that it is 90 per cent effective.

"That is good news. Perhaps almost the best news we’ve had in recent weeks. It’s not going to provide us with a way out of this today or tomorrow or next week or perhaps not even in this calendar year.

“But that development, and all of the other work going into the development of other vaccines, does give us right now real hope that in the not too distant future, science is going to find us the way out of this terrible time we’re living through.

“So hold on to that hope today, but also use it as a motivation.

“What we’re living through right now, and all the restrictions that are so difficult for all of us will not last forever.

“But it is really important that we stick with them now, so we get through the other side of this with as few possible becoming ill, with as few people as possible losing their lives. 

“That means all of us sticking with these tough restrictions that we are all fed up with, but that we know have an impact on this virus. So please, please stick with it for now.

“Keep hold of that hope that we have today that there is an end and hopefully we will see it in the not too distant future.”

Care home workers and residents, the elderly and vulnerable, and key workers are expected to be prioritised if the vaccine is approved, however a final plan for delivery and distribution is yet to be finalised.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said Scotland would get a straight population share of the UK’s order, meaning around 830,000 and then 2.5m doses.

She said: “We’ve been planning for the delivery of a Covid-19 vaccine for some time, a four nation plan with each part of the UK looking at specific delivery requirements in its own area.

“About making sure that as far we can we have the same approach across the UK.

“Here in Scotland it will be a national plan that covers the whole of the country, with delivery localised to ensure that we can take account of the various populations and geographies of the country, but that there is a consistency across the whole country.

“We will use a variety of routes for delivery and locations, some of which people will have experienced in the current delivery of the seasonal flu programme, but adding more local delivery, including the possibility of mobile units for some parts of our country where that makes much more sense, and using local knowledge from our health boards to do that.  

“The priority of who will get the vaccine in what order, we’re waiting on the joint committee on vaccines and immunisation to take a final decision of that, and we will follow their clinical guidance as we do with the flu vaccine programme.”

She said she had had a long meeting on Friday about vaccine plans, but there remained “loose ends” to tie up.

She said: “As soon as the vaccine is ready and the joint committee has given us its important advice, we will be ready to begin that vaccine programme on the basis of the batches of vaccine that we receive and the timing of those.”

One complication is that this vaccine requires extreme refrigeration, at around -80C, to remain stable, with logistical implications for its delivery.

Interim Chief Medical Officer Dr Gregor Smith said there was a “very safe and proven process” before new vaccines were made available, and he would take the new one as a patient if it passed them.

Ms Sturgeon added she would have “absolutely no hesitation at all in taking a vaccine that has gone through those processes and can deliver protection against getting this virus”.

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross said: “This could be the news we’ve all been desperately waiting to hear. “It’s an early Christmas present for everyone who has sacrificed so much over the last eight months.

“It offers a glimmer of hope that we can soon move forward and together we can get back to a form of normality, maybe even a little faster than expected.

“It’s not yet clear exactly when this vaccine will be available, but I hope work on a rollout plan is accelerated and by working together, the UK and Scottish governments are ready to introduce it as soon as possible.”

Scottish Labour health and social care spokesperson Monica Lennon said: “This is very positive and encouraging news, and something we should all welcome. 

“The Scottish Government must ensure that our health boards stand ready to receive and distribute a Covid-19 vaccine as soon as it’s available, and avoid the chaos that has plagued the flu vaccination programme.  

“We need a robust delivery plan for the Covid-19 vaccine in the national interest, including identifying priority patients, sufficient cold storage facilities and enough staff to administer the vaccine. 

“The NHS is under tremendous strain and will need all available support to ensure every area of Scotland can be reached, including access to rural areas and the use of mobile units when needed.” 

Scottish Greens health spokesperson Alison Johnstone MSP said: “The news that rapid progress is being made toward a coronavirus vaccine is hugely encouraging and provides a much needed glimmer of light at the end of what has been a very dark tunnel.

“It’s likely that distribution of a vaccine will present significant challenges though and people must be prepared to continue to abide by public health restrictions for the time being.

“Development of this vaccine has been a global effort, and so it’s vital that the distribution of the vaccine is not restricted to wealthy countries, but is available on an equitable basis around the globe.”