An outbreak of Covid-19 linked to a number of bars and restaurants in Aberdeen was a “phenomenally powerful opportunity” to learn about the spread of the virus, the health bosses said.
Dr Nick Fluck said the unique and face-paced nature of the city centre bar outbreak put the north-east at the centre of how Scotland now approaches the tracking and treatment of the virus.
In August, a cluster of coronavirus cases discovered at the Hawthorn Bar on the city’s Holburn Street spread to around 36 other establishments and resulted in more than 300 people becoming infected.
Dr Fluck said: “It was a tremendous learning point for the team and showed us how important local teams are in understanding what goes on.
“What I think we have learned was that it was a phenomenally powerful opportunity for our public health to really get to grips with the idea of monitoring outbreaks, understanding outbreak tracking and getting into Test and Protect at a level that none of the other boards have had to go through at that point.
Adam Coldwell, director of strategy and deputy chief executive of NHS Grampian, said the scale and urgency of the way the disease spread has resulted in the service having “come a million miles” from where it was six months ago, in terms of knowledge of the virus.
He said: “We’re recruiting really hard at the moment to make the team bigger for Test and Protect so that we get that sustainability over a longer period of time – and that need to be a partnership with everyone in the area to protect our population.”
However, Dr Fluck expressed less confidence about the emergence of a Covid-19 vaccine over the next few months.
He said: “What’s tricky is reading the tea-leaves on when data will be ready.
“Our job is to take part in the research, get ready to deliver it as soon as it’s here and hope it comes quite soon.
“I personally don’t feel as though it’s going to arrive before Christmas.”