Further measures to combat the spread of the Omicron variant of coronavirus in Scotland are now “inevitable,” according to the health secretary.
Humza Yousaf warned the NHS would have to “strain every sinew” in order to meet an ambitious new target of doling out booster jags to every eligible adult by the end of the year in a bid to slow the progress of the disease.
Nicola Sturgeon is due to give an update on the country’s battle with the condition on Tuesday, when updated rules are set to be put in place.
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Last week, the First Minister stopped short of cancelling Christmas parties, but urged employers to put festive celebrations on ice until the new version could be brought under control.
She warned of a “tsunami” of cases predicted to batter the UK over the holiday period, with Omicron expected to overtake Delta as the dominant variant in the coming days.
Appearing on the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland, Mr Yousaf said he would not hesitate to call in military support to speed up the booster roll out and appeared to double down on deputy first minister John Swinney’s suggestion that further restrictions would be introduced.
He told the programme: "I think it's inevitable that we will announce additional protective measures."
He added that a “huge increase” in the number of shots handed out was required to boost vaccine coverage.
A further 30,000 jags are now scheduled to be administered every day before the turn of the year to meet the government’s target.
Mr Yousaf said: “"We're going to have to strain every sinew that we possibly can in order to ensure we meet (the target).
"That includes potentially having to move NHS staff away from other core duties to do this."
More than 4,000 new cases of coronavirus were recorded in Scotland on Sunday, December 12.
No new deaths were registered in that time, however officially ratified figures are usually lower over the weekend.
