Scotland should be optimistic due to drop in Covid cases, expert says

If Scotland continues to see a decrease in Covid cases, the country can look forward to a “much better spring”, a public health expert has said.

The positive message from professor Linda Bauld comes after Scotland recorded a further 6934 new coronavirus cases but no deaths in the last 24 hours.

The University of Edinburgh professor said the country should be “optimistic” due to the recent drop in key Covid numbers.

Her comments were made on Monday as pubs, nightclubs and theatres were given the green light to operate at full capacity due to easing of Omicron restrictions.

Bauld told STV News: “We should be optimistic.

“We can certainly see a general trajectory of downwards in all the key numbers, and that’s absolutely great.

“Let’s hope that continues.

“Of course, we need to be cautious about the fact that we still have large numbers of people in hospital – just below the April 2020 peak, actually.

“But if that downward trajectory continues, I think we’ll have less pressure on the NHS and we can look forward to a much better spring.”

However Bauld warned that despite Scotland seeing light at the end of the tunnel in terms of the spread of coronavirus, the pressures on health and social care are still a real concern.

She said: “This is one of the toughest winters the NHS has ever had, and it’s not just Covid.

“There are long standing problems that need to be addressed and tens of thousands of people waiting for treatment and delayed surgeries and a big pressure on primary care and even more on social care.

“So we shouldn’t forget that even if the threat of Omicron and Covid is diminishing in our minds, the pressures on the health care and social care system are very real.”