PEOPLE in Scotland are being encouraged to take part in coronavirus vaccine trials.

Speaking at the Scottish Government's daily briefing yesterday, Deputy chief medical officer Nicola Steedman asked members of the public to consider whether they could volunteer during the testing phase of the drug.

Last week, findings from the early phases of a vaccine being created by Oxford University were published, with Ms Steedman saying the vaccine was both safe and created a “good response” in the more than 500 test subjects.

She added: “It’s still early days, but it’s definitely good news.”

Ms Steedman said: “Science and research has never been more important than it is now.”

How can I help?

Larger-scale trials will be required to ensure that vaccines can be rigorously tested in the coming months and Ms Steedman has said a registry has been set up across the UK for people to sign up to be a part of Covid-19 trials.

Ms Steedman said, adding: “Please do visit the online site if you can and think about whether you, like so many others, can volunteer to help with vaccine trials.”

Online sign-up can be found at www.nhs.uk/researchcontact

What else was said at the briefing? 

The First Minister confirmed another four positive cases of the virus in Scotland, bringing the total to 18,558.

No deaths have been recorded in the last 24 hours, meaning the total number of fatalities remains at 2491.

But Nicola Sturgeon said the Scottish Government is likely to adopt a “cautious approach” to lockdown easing when its planned review takes place on Thursday.

She warned there is a “worrying resurgence” of Covid cases globally and stressed the hospitality sector in Scotland must ensure it is adhering to guidelines put in place.