A LEADING public health expert has described the UK as “guinea pigs” in the Covid pandemic as restrictions continue to be eased.

Professor Devi Sridhar, who has been advising the Scottish Government throughout the pandemic, added “it’s a bit like jumping off a cliff, but unlike a year ago, we now have wings – vaccines.”

However, she questioned “are the wings strong enough to carry us and keep us from falling?”

England essentially dropped all Covid restrictions on July 19.

Meanwhile, Nicola Sturgeon has said there are "strong grounds for hope" that Scotland will be able to lift most restrictions on August 9 as planned.

Professor Sridhar said: "We are entering uncharted territory. 

"The United Kingdom and Israel, especially, are now guinea pigs. Everyone is looking at us to find out: What happens if you let the number of cases rise more or less uncontrollably when the elderly and the risk groups are vaccinated? 

"How many severe courses of disease, hospitalisations and deaths will there be then? How many cases of long Covid will occur, and what will the openings mean for the unvaccinated children and young people?"

The comments came in an interview with German news website Der Spiegel, where the Edinburgh University professor strong pushed the need for vaccination during what she described as a “new phase” of the pandemic.

She said: “Unfortunately, a 60 per cent vaccination rate is not enough for the Delta variant, that is clear now.

“The bar has clearly shifted upwards.

“For a reasonably normal life, we need a lot more vaccinated people, probably closer to 80 to 90 per cent of the population.

“Delta is changing the rules of the virus game – all over the world.”

She added: “And we don't know what else is coming around the corner, what other new variants will emerge.”

Prof Sridhar told the website that the UK Government is under “huge pressure” to get the economy moving again after recurrent lockdowns in 2020.

She said: “The corona exceptionalism felt endless. And it has caused great damage, without question. There have been many encroachments on civil liberties.

“While I urge caution, I certainly sympathise with people who are now simply fed up with corona.”

The health expert also described the current situation as being like the sinking Titanic in the “Delta Ocean” – “either you get on the lifeboat – that’s vaccination – or you sink. That’s the stark reality, unfortunately.”

She added: “There will always be new variants.

“We will have to learn the Greek alphabet by heart. But I am an optimist by nature.

“Vaccines can be adapted. And you can also do a lot with border controls to delay spread, for example by requiring proof of double vaccination and a negative PCR test when entering the country. That gives a layer of protection.

“I think it's important to think positively and constructively. And, hopefully, in a few years, we will look back on this time and wonder in disbelief how we ever got through it.”

The full interview with Der Spiegel can be found here.