Health chiefs have praised the northern isles’ “terrific” response to tackling the pandemic during a visit to Shetland and Orkney.
National clinical director Jason Leitch said he had been continually impressed by their “commitment and innovation” during a trip to the islands with NHS Scotland chief executive Caroline Lamb.
But, although residents have played a key part in containing the spread of the virus, Prof Leitch reminded them “luck” has played a role as well.
Orkney community has ‘done well’ in light of pandemic
When asked why Orkney has been able to keep its numbers “well below the national average”, he said it was impossible to pinpoint one specific reason.
Praising the community’s efforts, he said geography has also had a hand in their advantage and compared it to the Covid situation in New Zealand.
It has consistently had low levels of infection, largely due to the closure of its in March 2020.
The country has taken an unusual zero-tolerance approach to the coronavirus and has been trying to completely eliminate an outbreak of the Delta variant.
However it has proved stubborn and, after reopening its borders, Auckland is now reporting about 20 new local cases each day.
Prof Leitch added: “But let’s remember what this is.
“This is a vicious, infectious disease that luck plays a role in whether you get it or don’t.
“It’s not all down to human behaviour, but human behaviour plays a big role.
“You’ve been protected by the sea at various points in the pandemic, and then you’ve also been at risk because of the sea at various points in the pandemic.
“It’s New Zealand. As soon as you open the border, the virus has a chance to get in.
“And Delta, the version we’re dealing with now, is a much more vicious version than the one we had originally.”
Vaccination rates ‘top of the league table’
Prof Leitch said Orkney is in what he calls the “top of the league table” for vaccination.
“You aren’t seeing a lot of people in hospital, and fortunately, you aren’t seeing a very many deaths but the virus is still the virus,” he said.
The vaccination rate in Orkney is “well into 90%” across every age group, and this weekend will welcome 880 children and teens between 12-15 for their first jabs.
Prof Leitch added: “It’s a combination of all of those events. I think it’s partly luck, it’s partly geography and partly human behaviour.”
Isles ‘thinking outside the box’
Reflecting on their time on the ground in Shetland and Orkney, Ms Lamb said she continues to be impressed by the way they are “thinking out of the box” in terms of how the NHS responds to circumstances – particular in the island communities.
She added: “It’s been really helpful to hear about what’s happening, what it felt like on the ground through the pandemic and also some of the ambition to ensure that we can get services back up and running as quickly as possible for people.”