Government Action Needed to Stop Potential Forth Covid Wave

I have written to Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery John Swinney calling for the Scottish Government to take decisive action to address the current trend towards a potential fourth covid wave.

In my letter to Mr Swinney I called for clarity on the government’s contingency plans, the possibility of expanding testing and whether it supports public health expert calls for everyone over the age of 50 to be added to the vaccine booster programme.

It is clear to anyone looking that covid has not gone away. I know more people with covid just now than at any point in the pandemic. The official statistics tell us 1 in 30 currently have it in Scotland – but that figure is probably higher because not everyone is testing anymore.

While there is some welcome news that covid doesn’t seem to be quite as severe as at the start of the pandemic, we are now seeing a trend towards increased hospitalisations again, and this should be a concern for everyone.

We are at a point where mask wearing is low, testing is low, vaccines are wearing off and people are socialising more. This is creating a prime environment for new covid variants to take hold – which is what we are seeing.

With all this in mind I am asking the Scottish Government what contingency plans are in place for the upcoming winter period in relation to a possible rise in covid cases/hospitalisations. If we are to avoid a potential fourth wave, we know that we have to break the chain of transmissions and that requires government action.

Leading health experts are now calling for an increase in covid testing, so I am asking the Scottish Government if they support this view, and if so, what action it is considering taking to help with the affordability of test taking. Given the cost-of-living crisis, not everyone will have money to spare on purchasing covid tests, and as such I believe the government needs a plan to help address this.

I am also asking the government to commit to taking the proposal of adding all over 50s to the vaccine booster programme to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. I believe the situation now warrants action to be taken as a matter of priority before the it spirals out of control.