Coronavirus (COVID-19): Surveillance and Response - position statement

8. Conclusion

The COVID-19 pandemic presents an unprecedented challenge. The knowledge and experience of our public health teams across Scotland will continue to help guide our way through the virus until a vaccination programme has been delivered. It is essential that we all play our part and remain vigilant, follow public health advice on hygiene and distancing, keep away from crowded places and wear a face covering on public transport, in shops and when distancing is not possible.

Surveillance and Response will play a very important role in how we manage, contain and eliminate COVID-19. It will allow us to respond rapidly and collaboratively to any incident or outbreak at a local, regional and a national level.

As we develop new local and national resources to enhance the Surveillance and Response approach to meet the challenge of COVID-19, our ambition is to ensure that Scotland's public health infrastructure is also ready to face any future pandemic and to contribute to improving Scotland's population health.

Together, we are moving as a nation out of lockdown, but we must remain alert. The information that we are gathering and the experience and understanding of our health and resilience professionals gives us confidence that we can continue to meet the challenge of COVID 19 and reduce its impact on our communities.