Letter from Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care regarding Scottish Government's Standing Committee on Pandemics, 19 August 2021
Dear Convener,
I am writing to inform you that the first meeting of the Scottish Government’s Standing Committee on Pandemics will take place later today. As you may be aware, this is one of the government’s 100 Day commitments.
The Committee will bring together a range of experts and clinicians to advise the government on Scotland’s preparedness for future pandemics, to ensure that we are as prepared as possible for any future risks from novel pathogens. The intention is that the committee will provide expert advice across a range of areas including public health, epidemiology, virology, behavioural sciences, global health, zoonotics and statistical modelling. We will in due course publish the Committee’s papers and minutes of meetings on the Scottish Government website.
The immediate challenge will be to continue to ensure we can respond to the current pandemic and the Covid-19 Advisory Group will continue provide advice to the government on the scientific and technical concepts and processes that are key to our understanding of the acute phase of Covid. However, we also need to look to the future. That is why the Standing Committee’s focus will on the risk of future pandemics and how we might mitigate them in Scotland, both through our own actions and working with partners in the UK and internationally.
Yours sincerely