Why are Covid-19 rates so high in Scotland?
Scotland has recorded 2,969 Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, the highest number of cases since January. According to Linda Bauld, Professor of Public Health at Edinburgh University, there are a few reasons that Covid rates are surging in Scotland. More infectious variant  Firstly the more infectious Delta variant means that one person who has Covid-19 is more likely to pass it on to numerous people through proximity or via airborne transmission. Easing of lockdown  Secondly, while restrictions in Scotland have not been completely lifted, we are far from a total lockdown. This means that many people from different households are mixing indoors, giving the virus a better opportunity to spread. Transmission amongst those not vaccinated  Professor Bauld also highlighted that rates of Covid-19 were highest amongst younger adults and teenagers, who are less likely to be vaccinated. 16% of the adult population in Scotland have not been vaccinated, while 19% have only received once dose. Even adults who have received both doses of the vaccine will not yet all be fully protected as it can take up to three weeks for the jab to reach full efficacy. This means that the third wave of Covid that we are currently in is driven by sections of the population who do not yet have good levels of protection from the vaccine. In the past there has been a fairly equal balance between males and females testing positive for Covid-19. At times more women have tested positive due to the higher proportion of women working in the care sector. However, according to recent trends provided by Public Health Scotland using data from NHS Scotland, in recent days there has been a spike in the number of men aged 20-45 testing positive compared to the number of women of the same age.