Jason Leitch: 'Scots are going to have to learn to live with Covid-19'

Professor Jason Leitch said early coronavirus decisions were made with ‘best of intentions’ – but stressed that if he could change anything he would have spent more time explaining what the virus would mean for the elderly.

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland on Tuesday, Scotland's national clinical director said although the Covid-19 pandemic has brought “tragic” consequences, the “curve was flattened”.

Mr Leitch said: “I'm reluctant to call anything good or successful, what I can tell you is that the health service was not overwhelmed and those who needed treatment in our health service got it.

“But this virus is miserable,” he added. “It's evil and I don't use the word lightly. It's killed people.”

Professor Jason Leitch.

Asked what lessons will have been learned, Prof Leitch said: “We've made decisions at each moment with the best of intentions, I promise you. There's no room of people saying let's make this bit really difficult for people.

“Everybody has tried their absolute best, with the best global science, the best UK-wide science. I think we did the right things with the science we had at those moments.

“If you replay me from the end of February – which some people have great fun doing – then what we said at the end of February was the position at the end of February. I imagine if you play me again from today at the end of October, it will sound out of date.

“We did understand this disease was going to affect the elderly. We did understand that it was going to potentially overwhelm our intensive care.

“I think probably, if we were doing exactly the same virus again, then I may spend some more time with the population talking about what it means for elderly people, what it means to protect each other.

“We did all that as best we could at the time.”

Prof Leitch said he thinks physical distancing will change, but admits he is not sure when.

He said “there is no path that doesn't lead to risk”, but that “we're going to have to learn to live with this disease” and in time restrictions will ease.

“I don’t think we are going to be physically distanced forever. We are going to learn to live with this infectious disease, like we live with tuberculosis and flu. I think physical distancing will change. I am just not entirely sure when.

“We will of course, as we always do, pay attention to developments elsewhere, whether that is other parts of the UK – particularly other parts of the UK given the geography – and indeed other parts of the world.

“We have to go through a process of making assessments, listening to evidence and applying judgements in our own way.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce on Tuesday that the 2m distancing rule in England will be relaxed, with some conditions.

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