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Readers’ letters: Scots scientist discovered human coronaviruses

St Thomas' Hospital, London. Photo by Nils Jorgensen/Shutterstock
St Thomas' Hospital, London. Photo by Nils Jorgensen/Shutterstock

Sir, – I’ll bet that none of the people waiting for their Covid vaccine boosters outside St Thomas’s Hospital in London realised that they were standing 200 yards from where human coronaviruses were discovered in 1966 by June Almeida.

She had seen them, for the first time, in samples from England and the USA.

Her work shows that science ignores national boundaries.

Born in Glasgow, she made her career in Canada and was then head-hunted to St Thomas’s as a brilliant electron microscopist.

An important event that influenced her to become a scientist was the death of her older brother from diphtheria, a disease since conquered by vaccination.

Let’s hope we can do the same for Omicron, and any of its successors.

Hugh Pennington, Carlton Place, Aberdeen.

Governing class stands up for sense

Sir, – Perhaps Nicola Sturgeon should have a look at how Norway is managing its “just transition” to net zero.

They have licensed extraction in 136 blocks in the northern Barents Sea and exploration in the Arctic, thereby ensuring supply, investor confidence and huge exports.

Renewables provide 68% of their energy, 96% of which is hydro power.

Wouldn’t it be great to live in a country whose governing class stands up for common sense and doesn’t cave in to the likes of Harvie, Thunberg and Sturgeon?

Allan Sutherland, Willow Row, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire.

Angels of mercy facing burnout

Sir, – The four nations of Great Britain have asked all medics, nurses and all others that are involved in giving the vaccines to up the amount from 500,000 a day to 1 million a day.

That is double the workload.

The prime minister and the devolved ministers all say what a great job they are doing, but still offer a pittance of a pay rise for their efforts.

When will these governments realise that these angels of mercy will burn themselves out and be unable to help us any more due to stress, tiredness and fatigue?

Don McKay, Provost Hogg Court, Aberdeen.

Replacement of bridge essential

Sir, – Responding to the criticism of Aberdeenshire Council committing to replace Abbeyton Bridge, Charles Gordon will be well aware of the disruption and safety concerns raised since that bridge was lost.

It is not a “nice to have” bridge, it is essential. That was the view of Mearns Community Council, local residents, police, businesses and so on.

We have enough issues with underfunding on that stretch of road without adding to the dangerous impacts. Traffic through Fordoun has also increased since Abbeyton was demolished, and with no safe school crossing, the new gas transfer lorries all need to pass through the village to access the A90. There are several unresolved objections relating to access at Oatyhill, adjacent to the planned grade-separated junction at Laurencekirk. Now we have agreed to replace Abbeyton on safety grounds, that will help us with a potential new bridge at Oatyhill should that be the solution adopted by Transport Scotland.

They now hold the cards and have to assess the different access options and one may be a new bridge, but of course it is Network Rail who commission the replacement of any bridge over the East Coast Line.

Mr Gordon concludes “lives must win”. On that we are all agreed and that means replacing Abbeyton and potentially Oatyhill, too.

Councillor George Carr, Mearns Ward, Aberdeenshire.