Nicola Sturgeon is being urged to scrap her ‘increasingly redundant’ Test and Protect contact tracing system.
Scottish Tories are recommending the First Minister winds down the scheme, which they say is no longer an effective use of scarce NHS resources.
Ms Sturgeon is due to make a statement on the coronavirus situation in Holyrood this afternoon following claims Scotland is ‘through the worst of Omicron’.
As part of their ‘Back to Normality’ document, Tory MSPs say the scrapping of confirmatory PCR tests after positive lateral flow tests has made contact tracing ‘less useful’.
The day before the change was made, on January 5, Ms Sturgeon urged Scots to report their positive results online to begin the contact tracing process.
Tory health spokesperson Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: ‘We are urging the government to adopt a new, more targeted approach to Covid.
‘We would place a higher emphasis on protecting vulnerable groups and trusting the public, instead of blanket restrictions such as mandating face masks in classrooms.
‘One of the key proposals is replacing Test and Protect. It was incredibly useful in earlier stages of the pandemic but it has become increasingly redundant in recent months.
‘We are nearing the point where Test and Protect is no longer an effective use of scarce NHS resources.
‘As we start to move beyond the pandemic, our approach must adapt to fit the new situation.’
Health secretary Humza Yousaf yesterday acknowledged ‘there is still significant pressure’ on the NHS despite Scotland being over the peak of the recent Covid spike.
A government spokesperson insisted Test and Protect ‘continues to deliver an effective public health function despite record numbers of cases’.
The Scottish government is also due to publish its strategy on dealing with the coming stages of the pandemic.
The spokesperson added: ‘As case numbers have risen, more people are being contact traced through digital channels.
‘Contact tracing resource continues to be targeted to best protect public health including ensuring our objectives of protecting the vulnerable and targeting high risk settings.’
The latest data for Scotland shows 5,809 new Covid cases were reported, while there were no deaths and 958 people are in hospital with the virus.
Meanwhile, the Scottish Lib Dems have called for more action on long Covid after recent figures showed 1% of those affected are being referred to a government-funded support scheme.
Leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said it was a ‘missed opportunity’ that GPs could not automatically refer to the scheme.
He said: ‘Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland want to see the first minister ensure that automatic referrals are put in place across the county so that sufferers don’t miss out.
‘She should use her statement to announce those changes.’
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