SCOTS under the age of 40 are being urged to get their second Covid vaccine, with this age group now accounting for around two-thirds of new cases of the virus.
Just under a third of hospital admissions over the past month were in those aged under 40, according to Scottish Government figures.
The majority of hospital admissions among unvaccinated people – 58% – are also in this age group.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf has urged people not to leave the job “half done” by failing to turn up for their second vaccine appointment.
His plea comes as 5858 new cases of coronavirus were recorded yesterday, almost a thousand fewer than Friday’s record high.
But there have been eight more deaths of people who had recently tested positive for Covid-19, double the previous day’s figure.
Yousaf said: “More than 80% of the population have now received both doses and I really want to say thanks to all of them and of course everyone involved in the delivery of our national programme.
“Scotland’s vaccination programme has been one of the fastest in the world, but it’s clear there are some people – particularly aged under 40 – who have been offered a second appointment and, for whatever reason, have not yet attended. Our message to you is clear.
“It’s not too late to get your vaccine and it remains vital that you get both doses in order to give maximum protection against this virus. Please don’t leave the job half done.
“We are working to make it as simple as possible for people to get their vaccines, and have increased the options available for how and when people choose to be vaccinated, such as drop-in and open-access clinics.
“While we are in the process of emerging from the pandemic, high case rates at the moment underline the fact that this virus is still a significant threat and the importance of getting vaccinated cannot be underestimated.”
The Scottish Government figures published yesterday show that 14.2% of 43,450 tests came back positive. A further 13,998 vaccinations were carried out in the past 24 hours – the lowest figure since February.
Of those, 2615 were first doses and 11,383 were second doses, taking the total figures to 4,098,078 and 3,640,865 respectively.
As of Friday there were 494 people in hospital with recently confirmed Covid, an increase of 15 from the previous day. The number of patients in intensive care is up by two to 49.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here