'Light at the end of the tunnel' on Covid-19 as vaccination rollout hits milestone and positive tests stay low
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A GROUP monitoring the coronavirus crisis in the Highlands has welcomed the prospect of "light at the end of the tunnel" as positive test cases continue a downward trend.
Safe Hands: Saves Lives was set up at the start of lockdown by GP Ross Jaffrey who has patients in Muir of Ord, Beauly and beyond.
Dr Jaffrey was keen to encourage good hand hygiene and championed efforts to make sanitiser widely available from the start of the pandemic.
The group today welcomed "steady forward progress" in the fight against Covid-19.
It said: "Definite light at the end of the tunnel. Looking good for two weeks with the test positive average being below five per cent. The improvement in numbers is surpassing expectation. Clearly some people are still falling unwell and need hospital level support – this is becoming a much smaller group fortunately.
"Hoping this is a trend that continues and we can start to live without fear once more people get their vaccination."
In the NHS Highland area, figures released yesterday by the Scottish Government indicated nine additional confirmed coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours.
The new cases take the tally for the NHS Highland area since the start of the pandemic to 4726.
Some 555 people have tested positive across Scotland in the past 24 hours, taking the national total to 205,108.
Earlier, NHS Highland announced that 108,403 people in its area have received their first Covid-19 vaccination.
The figure represents 43 per cent of the over-18 population in the Highlands, Argyll and Bute.
The health authority has also reached or exceeded the target of over 85 per cent complete for care home residents, frontline workers, and people aged over 65, including those who are housebound.
Vaccinations for priority group six - the under 65s at risk - are now to start.
Dr Tim Allison, director of public health at NHS Highland, said the vaccine delivery was going well with the health authority's general practice-based model.
"The work being carried out by GP colleagues is tremendous as is that of our local teams who are vaccinating colleagues across health and social care," he said.
"The effort from everyone involved is something to be proud of."
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