Nicola Sturgeon forced to reassure parents over misleading Covid claims

Nicola Sturgeon has been forced to reassure parents that the risk to children from Covid-19 is “very low” after her Health Secretary made “scaremongering” claims which were dismissed by doctors.

The First Minister stressed that nobody in the Scottish Government “is trying to alarm people” and that Humza Yousaf “used a word that was not the correct word to use” when he claimed 10 young children had been hospitalised in the last week “because of Covid”.

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has accused Ms Sturgeon of “dodging scrutiny” and "making up excuses" in her response to the “alarmist” claims, and confirmed he will be calling the Health Secretary before Holyrood next week for a “full explanation”.

Mr Yousaf used the figure on Wednesday morning to warn parents against taking their children to councils where soft play areas are open, which he said could “lead to the hospitalisation of children”.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney, also Covid Recovery Secretary, then appeared to double down on the comments by saying the government was investigating whether "something in the new variants" made them more dangerous to children and that the number of young people admitted to wards was "on the high side".

However, senior pediatricians intervened on Thursday to reassure parents there was no evidence to back up the claims that children faced a heightened risk.

While children have tested positive for Covid-19 in hospitals, doctors have said it is likely they were admitted for another reason, such as broken bones, and confirmed they are not seeing a rise in hospital cases of children with Covid-19.

Quizzed on the issue at the Scottish Government’s coronavirus press briefing, Ms Sturgeon said Mr Yousaf had not intended to give the public incorrect information.

"What the Health Secretary was trying to say is nothing is without risk, and that applies to children as it does to adults,” she said.

"Humza answered a question about – should a parent in Level Two take their kid to soft play in Level One.

"It was in the context of that question that he was making the point, with reference to the small number of children in hospital, that it isn't the case that there's no risk to children in the course of this, and he used a word that was not the correct word to use there.

"Nobody meant to do that. We're trying to give people the best assessment of the risks as we possibly can, to allow people as far as possible, within all the rules that are set, to make the best judgements."

Ms Sturgeon also came under fire for her government taking 31 hours to confirm that Mr Yousaf’s comments on children being hospitalised “because of Covid” were misleading, facing accusations of trying to “spare the blushes” of a cabinet minister rather than correct alarmist information in the midst of a pandemic.

“Today’s Covid briefing should have taken place in the Scottish Parliament,” said Douglas Ross.

“By going on the BBC instead, Nicola Sturgeon dodged scrutiny from opposition parties on Humza Yousaf's scaremongering.

“Parents deserve upfront honesty from the SNP Government, not days of spin over child hospitalisations.

“Instead of admitting Humza Yousaf’s comments were misleading and alarmist, the Deputy First Minister and now the First Minister have made up excuses to defend him.”

He added: “The lack of a straightforward apology and correction is unacceptable. We will be seeking to call him before the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday for a full explanation.”

For Nichola Sturgeon, sorry is the hardest word

A comment from Alan Cochrane

It was too much to hope that we’d get two ‘we’re sorry’ statements from the SNP government in successive days, and that’s precisely how it turned out.

Nicola Sturgeon issued an as-near-as-damnit apology on Thursday over last year’s exam shambles and a pledge not to repeat the same mistakes this time round. But she couldn’t quite repeat something similar over her new health minister’s claim that children were being admitted to hospital, suffering from Covid-19.

I can’t be the only observer who reckoned that it was a ‘brave’ decision, as Sir Humphrey would have said, for the First Minister to appoint Humza Yousaf to the health portfolio in her post election cabinet reshuffle. After all, given that we’re still fighting this appalling virus, it’s easily the fourth most important ministerial job, after her own, John Swinney’s as her deputy and Kate Forbes, in charge of finance.

Dressing down

But even allowing for the fact that she didn’t have a team stuffed with talent from which to choose, it was still a bit risky making Mr Yousaf Jeane Freeman’s replacement. He was no great shakes at Justice, displaying an uncalled for determination not to give an inch over his controversial ‘hate crime’ measure and latterly in supporting mob rule when protesters blocked the efforts of two immigration officers in carrying out their legal duty to detain suspected illegal immigrants.

However, no sooner had he got his feet under the table in his new department than he got a proper dressing down from a senior medic over a stupid claim that a number of children had been hospitalised with Covid-19.

It simply wasn’t true, said Dr Steve Turner, a leading figure from the Royal College of Paediatrics, even if John Swinney added insult to injury by appearing to back up the minister’s allegation.

Mr Yousaf eventually rowed back and said he had not intended to cause alarm but surely even someone new in the job would realise that everything and anything that ministers, especially health ministers, say in the present climate have an immediate effect on the public.

At Friday's Covid-19 press conference the First Minister tried to play down the effect of her subordinate’s words, insisting that "nobody in the government is trying to alarm anyone" whilst at the same time accepting that he’d used the wrong words.

It’s probably much too early for the opposition parties to call for his sacking but there must be a lot of shaking of heads in public Scotland and especially amongst health administrators and the medical/scientific community at Humza’s appointment.

What special attribute did the First Minister spot in this man – other than a healthy dose of political ambition – to give him such an important role?

A special aptitude for health matters? No, after being hooked on politics at ‘Hutchie’s’ in Glasgow he studied politics at Glasgow University and it’s been clear from an early age that that’s the world for him.

Stay in your level

Elsewhere, the First Minister appealed to residents in Level Two areas – roughly three million at last count – not to try their luck in Level One areas, where restrictions are less onerous, and where, for instance, soft play venues are open.

She’s a bit late with that advice and her words show that she doesn’t really know much about Glaswegians (even though she lives in that city) who’ve been subject to the strictest rules for roughly nine months.

Although they’re now in Level Two and able to enjoy a glass indoors at pubs and restaurants in their own city, the First Minister didn’t seem to notice that Scotland’s biggest city has been rather short of people recently.

For as long as they remained in Level Three, which ended at midnight, ‘Weegies’ have been jumping on trains and buses to sample the alcoholic delights of Edinburgh’s Level Two hostelries.

And thoroughly welcome they’ve been too.