'Frustration' at treating unvaccinated patients ill with Covid-19

Front line NHS staff are ‘very frustrated’ at having to treat people who fall seriously ill with coronavirus having not taken up the chance to get vaccinated.

Dr Linda de Caestecker, director of public health at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said doctors and other health care workers can be disheartened by the preventable cases they see in hospitals.

“We’ve done much better here in Greater Glasgow and Clyde in terms of our uptake, but even so, our clinicians will say if people come into hospital unwell with Covid, and have not been vaccinated, it feels so frustrating that this could have been prevented,” she told STV News.

Dr de Caestecker said coronavirus cases in Scotland are expected to keep rising until at least the middle of next month.

Levels of infection across Scotland as well as in Glasgow are at the highest level they have been since the start of the pandemic.

On Wednesday, Scotland reported a record 15,849 new coronavirus cases but there will be no immediate changes to existing restrictions, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said.

It means the country has seen a surge of more than 55,000 cases since Christmas Day.

At the recently opened mass vaccination centre at Hampden Park stadium, Dr de Caestecker urged the public to come and get “boosted by the bells”.

“I’m a public health doctor, I’ve always believed prevention is better than cure, and this is a way to prevent serious disease,” she said.

“There is no judgment here at all, even if you haven’t had your first or your second vaccination, we’ll just be so glad to see you.

“We want to get all adults vaccinated with a booster before the end of December,so please come forward.

“No one is going to ask you why you’re coming today or why you didn’t come before.

“We just want you to come, and it’s the best way we can protect our country, ourselves, our family.”