There were 885 patients recorded in hospitals with Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, the lowest since 31st December 2021 when there were 859. There were 20 ICU cases, the lowest since June 27 2021, more than 7 months ago, when there were 17.

I appreciate that these data do not capture the ‘collateral damage’ such as long-Covid and do not suggest that such progress merits the frankly school-boy announcements of the PM in the last three days calling for an end to all restrictions.

While hospitalisation has fallen in England, the fall has been less steep and the level is currently about 20% higher than in Scotland despite infection levels haven fallen, in the last few days to a similar rate. Similarly the number is English ICU units (372) is approaching twice that in Scotland and might suggest more extreme rates in some inner city, ethnic minority areas with greater vaccine skepticism. Either way, the PM’s optimism seems unsafe.

No doubt the Scottish Con Sandy Gullane MSP is working on how to turn these data into a crisis.