NICOLA Sturgeon has urged younger people to think about their loved ones, warning them not to fall for the “dangerous delusion” that the under 40s don’t need to worry about coronavirus.
The First Minister’s plea came as Scotland recorded three deaths of patients who tested positive for Covid, the highest number since June 30.
In total, there were 176 cases confirmed on Monday, representing 2.3% of all people tested. Just two weeks ago, the positivity rate was less than 1%.
Most of the cases, 91, were in the Greater Glasgow & Clyde health board are. Another 32 were in neighbouring Lanarkshire, while 16 were in Lothian and 8 were recorded in Ayrshire and Arran.
The remaining 29 cases are spread across the other seven mainland health boards.
Speaking during the Scottish Government’s coronavirus briefing, Sturgeon said the majority of the big spike of cases in Scotland were among people
aged 18 to 39.
She wanted to “take head on” the argument that “because the virus is, at the moment, infecting more young people than old people, and because we are not yet seeing a sharp rise in serious illness or deaths, then we don’t need to worry about this.”
She added: “That is, in my view, potentially a really dangerous delusion.
“Firstly, the risk of a young person getting seriously ill or dying is thankfully lower – but it is not zero. And I would ask people of all ages to remember that.
“Second, we are seeing warning signs here already. I have reported three deaths today – that’s the first time I’ve had to do that in more than two months, so we should listen to the warning signals that are already here.
“And thirdly, we don’t live in entirely generationally segregated ways. If transmission becomes established in the younger population, it will eventually reach the older, more vulnerable population.
“To younger people, please think about your loved ones and to older people be even more vigilant with hygiene and distancing if you’re spending time with young relatives who might have been in pubs and restaurants.”
Sturgeon said that gatherings in people’s homes were the biggest source of coronavirus spreading in the west of Scotland, rather than the hospitality sector.
But Dr Linda de Caestecker, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s director of public health, said that most of the city’s new positive tests were linked to pubs and restaurants.
She warned Glaswegians to “play by the rules” or risk seeing bars shut again.
De Caestecker said: “Nobody wants to go back to into lockdown. Nobody wants to be forced into only seeing friends on a screen again.
“So if we want to continue to meet our friends and family to enjoy a night out then we all need to play by the rules.”
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