Still ‘long journey’ ahead, says Leitch

National clinical director Jason Leitch says the Scottish Government will be “cautious” when unlocking the country, with Nicola Sturgeon to release a road map out of lockdown on Tuesday.

The first minister announced a phased return of schools is to begin on Monday, before Professor Mark Woolhouse, who sits on the Scottish Government’s Covid-19 advisory group, said Scotland should be “looking at earlier unlocking”.

But Mr Leitch played down any talk of coming out of lockdown in the immediate future, saying:

“We’re a little bit worried about complacency.

“The care homes data is very good. It’s the first signs that the vaccination is doing in the wild what it did in the trials.

“It’s too early to say that’s going to happen across all ages and all populations, so we just have to be cautious.

“The last thing we want is to open too early and have to go back. That’s why schools first, families next, then the economy.”

The country has been put into two full national lockdowns in the last year, as well as various regional lockdowns.

However, with the vaccine reaching almost every care home resident, deaths in homes have fallen by 62%, while people dying at home has fallen by 29%.

But Mr Leitch says that despite progress being made due to the vaccine, prevalence is “still too high”, while the country has a “long journey” before everything can open up.

“That (the vaccine) is a real positive to help us getting out, but there were 1,100 cases yesterday in Scotland, so prevalence is still too high. The best way for the virus to mutate is high numbers.

“We just aren’t sure about vaccine progress and vaccine transmission reduction.

“If that goes well, if the care home data is reproduced in the next few weeks across the over-80s in the community, then the over-70s in the community, then, yes, we will be able to advise the first minister that unlocking can happen at this gradual rate.

“That’s where we are headed, but it’s a long journey.”

“We’re worried about complacency

CAUTIOUS: National clinical director Jason Leitch.