A MARCUS Rashford-style figure could help convince Covid sceptics to help fight the virus, a leading expert has said.

The Manchester United player has become a hero outwith his sport for forcing the UK Government into a U-turn on free school meals for England’s poorest children after taking up the cause. Boris Johnson congratulated the 23-year-old goal scorer for his successful campaign after he was backed into a policy change last summer.

Now Professor Linda Bauld says recruiting a similar figure to join Scotland’s public health team could help tackle the anti-mask and anti-vaccine sentiment held by some Scots.

Research published as the first jags were rolled out found one third of people in the UK have seen anti-Covid vaccine messages, it has emerged, with Facebook the main source. Poll firm Ipsos MORI and Kings College London found almost half of those aged 16-34 had been exposed to such material.

In Scotland, anti-mask and Covid conspiracy groups have racked up thousands of followers. Us For Them Scotland, which wants pupils to return to classrooms without masks or social distancing, has a 13,000-strong Facebook following.

Four people were arrested at an Edinburgh protest by the Scotland Against Lockdown group earlier this week. Meanwhile, coronavirus transmission caused by rule-breaking indoor gatherings in private premises has led the Scottish Government to enact tougher curbs on mixing between households. Still, hundreds of people have been fined for breaching the virus control measures put in place across the country, with more than 300 such penalties issued over the Hogmanay period alone.

And Michelle Ballantyne MSP, who has quit the Tories and become the Scottish leader of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, has suggested the national coronavirus death rate may be exaggerated and that the public health measures currently in place are irreconcilable with the impact of the virus.

Conspiracy theories have linked Covid-19 with the roll out of 5G technology, suggested uptake of the vaccine could lead to infertility and even claimed that trick needles were used in injections recorded for TV and newspapers.

Bauld, of Edinburgh University, says these theories, along with a distrust of the government, health authorities and media, are similar to those that focused on other vaccinations like the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jag.

But she says enlisting the help of a figure like Rashford could help tackle misinformation and reach those who choose to ignore evidence of the pandemic: “People who are individually influential can respond to a post and debunk the myths.

“Celebrities and trusted high value individuals like sportspeople, people who are famous, actors and actresses, they have been used in public health messaging in many countries around the world. It’s a very good way to get the message across. It’s tried and tested so maybe it’s another route through this.”

Bauld says that policymakers should be “calling out publicly” elected politicians who compromise public health by sharing misleading material online.

And she says authorities cannot rely on social media platforms to remove offending material: “Unless it’s very extreme, they won’t take any action. We have to find other ways.

“We have to factor this into our communications campaigns.”

The Scottish Government says its daily briefings “are explicitly about debunking myths and publicising the most accurate and up-to-date information on Covid”.