Covid: We must resist the temptation to celebrate Hogmanay as usual and take hope from mass vaccination rollout – Angus Robertson

After an awful year with coronavirus, we have real hope that in 2021 we will turn the corner as mass vaccinations ramp up here and around the world.

People are being vaccinated against the Covid-19 coronavirus but it will take time to build up herd immunity to the disease (Picture: Francois Lo Presti/AFP via Getty Images)

For us, the approval of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is being described as a game-changer. Not only can it be stored at easily managed temperatures but it creates antibodies that protect against infection, and also generates hunter-killer T cells that deal with infection.

Respiratory disease expert Professor Calum Semple explained why the vaccine is so beneficial. “They [T cells] help people who have some degree of infection, if a little bit of virus escapes and starts causing infection it can actually treat that disease as well in the people that have been vaccinated, so it's a very, very good vaccine."

National vaccination programmes are only really beginning now and will pick up dramatically in the weeks and months ahead. However we will only expect to reach herd immunity around next summer. People with serious allergies or pregnant and breast-feeding women are not yet able to be vaccinated.

Meanwhile the Covid-19 virus and its new more dangerous strain have led to rising levels of infection and hospitalisations. Indoor parties and socialising are amongst the most dangerous super-spreader events.

We will only know what impact the festive season has had on infections in a couple of weeks’ time. Hopefully people will fight the temptation to celebrate Hogmanay in time-honoured fashion. We cannot ignore the dangers of coronavirus so let’s start 2021 by being safe at Hogmanay.

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