Covid Scotland: Unvaccinated Covid patients urge others to get jag in government campaign

Unvaccinated Scots who found their lives at risk from Covid-19 will urge others to take up the offer of a vaccine in a new advertising campaign from the Scottish Government.

The ‘Take it From Them’ campaign aims to target Scots who are not yet fully vaccinated.

Some 25 per cent of adults have not had a booster, while 10 per cent have not had a second dose and 6 per cent have received no Covid vaccination.

Adam Sharp, from Fife, said he “underestimated” the virus in his decision not to take up the offer of a vaccine.

A still from a video produced by the Scottish Government, NHS Scotland and Public Health Scotland.

The 33-year-old contracted Covid in November last year, and was given a one in three chance of survival after being put in a coma.

He urged others to get vaccinated for the sake of their families.

“I thought being young and with no underlying health issues, I was not at risk from Covid-19, ” he said.

"How wrong I was. I rapidly deteriorated as my lungs struggled to maintain oxygen levels and had to be transferred to ICU. Medical staff had to manually push air into my lungs to keep them open before I was put on a ventilator and into a coma. I messaged my wife ahead of this to say ‘this is it, I’m going to die'.

Deputy National Clinical Director and emergency medicine consultant Dr John Harden.

"I underestimated the effect of Covid-19. I’d urge others to get the vaccine not only for themselves, but also for their family. Covid is real and should be taken very seriously even by young people.”

Figures from Public Health Scotland show the age-standardised rate of hospitalisation per 100,000 people is 3.8 times higher in those who are unvaccinated compared to those who have received at least one dose.

Deputy national clinical director and emergency medicine consultant Dr John Harden said: “While admissions since May have been down since the initial waves of the virus, recent data shows that one in five Covid-19 patients admitted to intensive care or high dependency in Scotland since May were under 40. Coronavirus is still in circulation and can be risky at any age.”

Health secretary Humza Yousaf said: “While the number of Omicron cases continues to decline and restrictions are being lifted, it remains crucial that people get vaccinated and complete their vaccination course in order that this improvement can be sustained."

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