Covid in Scotland: 'My daughter is at greater risk now than ever'

Shelley Gray said her daughter's world has become "less safe" due to soaring case numbers

The mother of a two-year-old with Down's syndrome and a history of respiratory illnesses has said her daughter is at greater risk now than at any time during the Covid pandemic.

Cases of the virus have reached record levels but further easing of lockdown restrictions is planned in two weeks.

Rosa Gray's mother said restrictions had helped to protect her daughter.

Shelley Gray said vulnerable children, who are too young to be vaccinated, are now being left behind.

On Thursday 4,234 cases were recorded in Scotland, the highest number since the start of the pandemic.

Despite the spike, mainland areas are due to move to the lowest level zero restrictions on 19 July before all major restrictions are lifted on 9 August.

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Ms Gray, from Edinburgh, told BBC Scotland The Nine programme it has been an anxious time for her family, especially as her daughter needed hospital treatment for viruses when she was a baby.

She said: "I remember just before the pandemic we had a really rough winter with Rosa and I had said 'I am just really looking forward to life not being dictated by viruses'. Then, a few weeks later, we were all in lockdown.

"If Rosa got Covid there is a chance she might be ok but there is a chance she might really not be and that has been hard at times to live with."

Rosa playing in the garden of her Edinburgh home

Ms Gray said she is concerned the timetable back to normality remains on track despite rising case numbers.

She said: "Rosa is not vaccinated and there is no sense that she could have that option any time soon so that actually means she is now at greater risk than she was at any point in the last year and a half."

Ms Gray said when numbers were previously high her daughter's nursery and son's school were closed and households were not mixing.

The success of the vaccination programme is now driving the removal of restrictions which have been in place, in some form, since March last year.

Since then Ms Gray said her daughter has been in a "really safe bubble".

But she added: "It feels like her world has got less safe and the only thing we can do in response is to keep her world small."

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