FEWER people in Scotland are in hospital, and fewer are in intensive care, compared with yesterday. The increase in the number of deaths is presumably among people who contracted the virus two, three or even four weeks ago. By far the highest number of new infections is in west and central Scotland. Out of 1,261 new cases, 145 were in NHS Lothian. Yet the Lothians are subject to the same restrictions as west and central Scotland. Further, hospitality venues remain, for the most part, closed

I have yet to see evidence that restaurants, where proprietors made a huge effort to render their premises Covid-safe earlier in the year, are responsible for the transmission of the virus. This is beginning to look as if one part of Scotland, where the heartland of SNP support is, is dictating to the rest of us in the central belt. More and more people are concluding that this is unreasonable – and that being prohibited from having a glass of wine with lunch is yet more evidence of a control freak tendency in the Scottish Government.

Jill Stephenson, Edinburgh EH14.

SURELY after five weeks of hospitality lockdown and virtually no decreases in mortality and infection rates it's time for the so-called experts and the Government to admit that they have got it wrong and for them to admit that it's the schools and colleges and the tens of thousands of socially active young adults who are fuelling this latest outbreak.

Is it politically so difficult to admit this and stop pretending that it is the restaurants and pubs who are causing the upsurge? How can it be? They are effectively closed.

Robert Neillands, Largs.

I NOTE with interest James Gracie's letter on whose view to follow during the pandemic.

Based on my understanding of the vast amount of Covid-19 data, about 80 per cent of sufferers will make a good recovery within about four weeks.

Of the less fortunate 20%, a portion will die, but most of the rest will have a rather more protracted recovery. By the time three months have passed, about two per cent will still be struggling.

Two per cent is a small proportion. However, we have a pandemic situation with huge numbers infected, and two per cent of one million equals 20,000 people – in absolute terms, much larger numbers.

Given the virus's propensity to hammer kidneys, hearts and lungs, unless this damage is speedily and effectively repaired, as the post-Covid-19 months merge into years, even someone like me who shares Miranda Moore's view (“Lockdown scepticism doesn’t mean you’re heartless”, The Herald, November 9) speculates anxiously about the downstream burden placed on services such as renal dialysis, organ transplant waiting lists, both for those requiring them and the personnel that operate and administer them.

Christopher W Ide, Waterfoot.