THE Health Secretary has renewed his plea for younger Scots to get their vaccine as he warned the vast majority of new cases are among under-40s.
Humza Yousaf issued the message as cases surge in Scotland, with the country recording its highest ever daily totals this week.
Today (Wednesday), the Government announced 5021 new Covid cases and five more deaths in the past 24 hours. It is the first time more than 5000 infections have been recorded in one day.
The Health Secretary urged younger Scots to roll up their sleeves as he revealed seven in 10 new cases were among Scots under the age of 40.
Yousaf tweeted: “Those under 40yrs old make up around 70% of positive cases.
“Really important that if you are eligible for a vaccine you get vaccinated. Please don't leave the job half done, get both doses for maximum protection.”
Those under 40yrs old make up around 70% of positive cases. Really important that if you are eligible for a vaccine you get vaccinated. Please don't leave the job half done, get both doses for maximum protection.
— Humza Yousaf (@HumzaYousaf) August 25, 2021
Find your nearest clinic:https://t.co/FpLfegVRrD https://t.co/k3KbeYBryk
The SNP minister shared a link to the NHS website which allows Scots to find their nearest drop-in vaccine clinic. You can find the link at the bottom of this article.
READ MORE: UK Government adviser warns of 'significant surge' in Covid cases
Younger age groups are still lagging behind older ones when it comes to getting the vaccine.
While over-50 age categories are all at nearly 100% coverage, just 82% of 30 to 39-year-olds have had both jags. That figure drops to 73.8% for 18 to 29-year-olds. For 16 to 17-year-olds, who were only recently invited to get a vaccine, the rate is 41.8%.
Yousaf’s plea comes after Nicola Sturgeon urged Scots to stick to public health measures amid the spike in infections.
She wrote: “Another sharp rise in number of cases today (tho % positivity is lower than y’day, reflecting more tests).
“Vaccines still protecting against serious illness, but we all need to take care and act in a way that minimises risk of getting/spreading the virus.”
The First Minister added: “Please follow health advice and take these sensible precautions to keep yourself and others safe.”
2/ Please follow health advice and take these sensible precautions to keep yourself and others safe:
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) August 25, 2021
💉 get vaccinated
😷 wear face coverings
🙌 wash hands & surfaces
🛑 keep a safe distance from others
☀️ stay outdoors as much as poss
💨 ventilate indoor spaces
The percentage of tests that returned positive in the last 24 hours was 11%.
A total of 391 people were in hospital with recently confirmed Covid-19, up by 27 on the previous day, with 44 patients in intensive care, up one.
So far, 4,088,894 people have received the first dose of a Covid-19 vaccination and 3,603,429 have had their second.
To find your nearest vaccine drop-in clinic, click here.
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