Scotland’s deputy first minister has been accused of “twisting data” in a “desperate” attempt to justify the region’s COVID-19 restrictions, which are significantly stricter than in neighbouring England. The Scottish National Party (SNP) administration imposed a ban on large-scale events including football matches on Boxing Day in order to slow the spread of the Omicron variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes COVID-19. On the following day, all nightclubs were closed and pubs and restaurants were limited to table service only. Talking to the BBC’s “Good Morning Scotland” programme on Jan. 4, Deputy First Minister John Swinney cited Office for National Statistics (ONS) data published on Dec. 31, which showed 1 in 25 people in England had COVID-19 compared to 1 in 40 in Scotland. He said the ONS survey had demonstrated a “very important distinction” between Scotland and England. The ONS data covered the week ending …