Covid in Scotland: Glasgow level 3 restrictions could be extended
- Published
Cases of Covid-19 in Glasgow are continuing to rise
Glasgow may have to remain under level three Covid restrictions for longer than a week, Scotland's national clinical director has warned.
Prof Jason Leitch said the situation remained "fragile" as case rates continue to climb.
The latest seven-day average per 100,000 population in the city is 94.5 cases, well above the level two benchmark of 50 cases.
East Renfrewshire has seen its case rate jump to 75.4, overtaking Moray.
Glasgow and Moray are the only local authority areas due to remain in level three on Monday, as the rest of mainland Scotland, including East Renfrewshire, go down to level two, and some islands to level one.
The outbreak in Moray appears to have stabilised, with the case rate falling for the fourth consecutive day to 58.4 per 100,000 population in the latest published figures.
In East Renfrewshire, however, the rate is climbing steeply with 72 positive cases over the past seven days.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland infection rates in every local authority were being monitored and action would be taken to contain outbreaks, if necessary.
"The last thing we want to do is to have areas going in and out of restrictions like a yo-yo, that's the worst of all possible worlds.
"What we need to try and do is what we're doing in the overwhelming majority of the country which is get to a sustained position of suppression of the virus which then enables us to take the necessary action to relax restrictions."
There is evidence the Glasgow surge is being driven by the so-called Indian variant, unlike in Moray where it is thought to be much less of a factor.
Last Tuesday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said all mainland areas with the possible exception of Moray were expected to move to level two rules which allow different households to meet up indoors, and pubs and restaurants to serve alcohol indoors.
But on Friday she announced that the move to level two would be delayed by a week for both Moray and Glasgow after cases rose rapidly, particularly in the south of the city.
The decision to delay Glasgow's move to level two was a tough one, says Jason Leitch
Prof Leitch told BBC Scotland's The Sunday Show "it may well be" that Glasgow would have to remain in level three for longer than an extra week.
He added: "We'll give the best advice we can on this - we've met all weekend, we'll meet next week.
"Glasgow are doing an enormous amount of work. The leaders of the public health response in Glasgow are testing everywhere.
"If you haven't had a test and you're in Glasgow, you should do it."
Vaccination drive
Lateral flow test kits are available free on the NHS, and everyone in Scotland - but particularly in Glasgow - is being urged to take them twice a week regardless of whether they have symptoms, Prof Leitch said.
On vaccination, he said text messages were going out to younger age groups in the worst-affected Glasgow postcodes, inviting them to be vaccinated.
Prof Leitch said work was ongoing to identify those who did not previously come forward for their first dose, and he also urged people to take up offers of the second dose.
However, he said the success of the vaccination programme meant there was no evidence yet that the upturn in cases would lead to significant increases in deaths or pressures on the NHS.
"We're keeping Glasgow at three. We're not locking Glasgow down. The beer gardens can still open, you can still meet outdoors," he said.
People are urged to take regular tests, regardless of whether they have symptoms
While a case rate of 50 cases per 100,000 population is a key benchmark for deciding if an area can move to level two, other factors such as the ability of the local health service to cope are also considered.
On Sunday another 292 cases of Covid-19 reported across the whole of Scotland, with 2% of tests coming back positive, the highest percentage since 19 April.
Earlier, the Westminster health secretary, Matt Hancock, said the experience of Bolton, which has also seen a surge in the Indian variant, was that it was mainly spreading among younger people who had not had a vaccine jab.
He said that while this variant appeared to me more transmissible and was likely to become the dominant UK strain, he was "confident" that existing vaccines offered protection.
In Bolton, he said he was aware of five people in hospital despite having had one dose of the vaccine and one "frail" person who had received two doses - but he said the "vast majority" were people who had not received any vaccine.
