Highlanders who have avoided Covid-19 vaccination invited to 'reassess personal risk' as numbers soar
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OLDER people who decided against Covid-19 vaccination when it was being offered are being invited to "reassess personal risk" as new cases in Scotland continue to soar.
Beauly GP Dr Ross Jaffrey, who set up the Safe Hands, Saves Lives group to encourage good hygiene in the early days of the first coronavirus lockdown, has been maintaining a daily post on the situation ever since.
Referring to figures released yesterday, he posted: "Another record daily total. We wait with an element of apprehension to see the influence it may have on hospitalisation.
"In the past week total cases in Scotland could almost populate the entire city of Inverness. Vaccination may have placed a ceiling on disease severity but some people will still need hospital level care. How large a proportion remains to be seen. It is already rising from cases appearing 10 days ago – if trends continue upwards we are going to find it difficult to manage."
And he added: "If you are older, and decided vaccination was not for you, it may be a good time to reassess personal risk as exposure to this variant is likely to touch us all over coming weeks. Studies are suggesting the Delta variant is more likely to harm you compared to the original. Vaccination remains a personal choice but evidence is pretty robust regarding safety and protection at this point."
Yesterday;'s figures saw 304 new cases recorded within the NHS Highland area and more than 7000 across Scotland as a whole.
Beauly GP saddles up for Highland Hospice
