A leading epidemiologist has warned ministers that lifting restrictions in February would spell "disaster" for the UK and put "enormous" strain on the NHS.
Professor John Edmunds, who works for the UK Government's scientific advisory group for emergencies (Sage), warned that removing restrictions after the first wave of vaccinations would be a mistake.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the expert said: “I think it would be a disaster if we removed restrictions in, say, the end of February when we have gone through this first wave of the vaccination.
“First of all vaccines aren’t ever 100% protective, and so even those that have been vaccinated would be still at some risk.
“Secondly, it is only a small fraction of the population who would have been vaccinated and if you look at the hospitalisations at the moment, about half of them are in the under 70s, and they are not in the first wave to be vaccinated.
“If we relaxed our restrictions we would immediately put the NHS under enormous pressure again.”
Prof Edmunds said it was “likely” that there are already cases of both Brazilian coronavirus variants in the UK.
Most of Scotland is currently living under the toughest lockdown restrictions, with all non-essential shops closed and schools closed until as least the end of January.
In past weeks, Nicola Sturgeon has made clear the seriousness of the situation as cases soar across the country.
The First Minister has been urging people to follow the rules and stay at home to protect the NHS, noting that vaccines will be game-changers in the fight against the virus.
Want to be first to know what's going on in Edinburgh? Join our Facebook group All About Edinburgh to stay in the loop and share your stories.
Edinburgh and the rest of Scotland could see mass vaccination sites running 24 hours-a-day in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Scottish Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said it was "entirely possible" that centres could be working all hours of the day by the end of February.
