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OPINION: Vaccination holds genuine hope for a return to normality


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Doctor Jonathan Whiteside, clinical lead for critical care, was the first person to be vaccinated within NHS Highland.
Doctor Jonathan Whiteside, clinical lead for critical care, was the first person to be vaccinated within NHS Highland.

Highland MSP Fergus Ewing on the roll-out of the Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine.

I was very pleased to see the vaccination against Covid-19 start this month across Scotland, including within NHS Highland.

The vaccination programme is a huge exercise and will continue well into next year, but I am delighted that it has started.

NHS Highland are beginning the programme with a small group of NHS staff who have the potential for high levels of exposure to Covid and this will be followed by vaccinations of care home residents and staff as well as further NHS staff at most risk of infection. The programme will be scaled up as more vaccine is delivered.

Vaccination undoubtedly holds out a genuine hope for a return to something like normality in the not-too-distant future. But that point is not quite here yet. For the moment, all of us need do everything we can, to limit the opportunities we give the virus to spread.

It was confirmed last week that a new variant of the virus had been identified in the UK, and the First Minister advised Parliament that a small number of cases of it had already been identified in Scotland.

While further analysis is required to establish this one way or another, we already have a concern that this strain may be driving what appears to be faster transmission in some hospitals and care homes.

Fergus Ewing MSP
Fergus Ewing MSP

To limit, as far as we can, the risk of this strain spreading further than it has within Scotland, we intend to apply level four measures to all of mainland Scotland for a period of three weeks from 12.01am on Boxing Day.

I know that for many of us the next few weeks are likely to be the toughest part of this whole experience so far. For any of us, the thought of staying away from loved ones over Christmas is difficult to bear. But, hopefully, by this time next year, all of this will be starting to fade into a bad memory and we will be looking forward to a much more normal Christmas.

This year has been unremittingly horrible for everyone, but it has nevertheless reminded us what matters most – health, family, community and love. Let’s hold on to all of that – and a determination to keep each other safe.

I wish all my constituents a peaceful and safe Christmas.


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