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Scotland’s ability to give people over 50 the new coronavirus vaccine before spring will depend on supplies, according to the Health Secretary.
Jeane Freeman also confirmed that Scotland will receive 44,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca next week, with the four nations continuing to plan supply and delivery.
After the approval of the second vaccine on Wednesday, the Scottish government announced that it would be administered to people north of the border from Monday along with the rest of the nations of the United Kingdom.
Speaking to the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland program, Freeman admitted that they could not guarantee the goal of being on track to vaccinate everyone over 50 by the spring regardless of the issue of supplies.
Freeman said: “It can’t be a guarantee because it depends on supplies, but what I do know is that our planning is done.
“Our model and the number of registered vaccinators we have are there.
“As long as supplies of both vaccines continue to come to us, then we will be ready to deliver the vaccine to everyone who is on the priority list of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI), that is, everyone over 50 years of age, in the spring we will get there whenever those supplies arrive.
“That is very positive and good news because it is a group of people that the expert committee has identified as those who are most at risk of serious illness and death from Covid-19.
“It’s really important that we work as hard as we can to make sure we vaccinate those people as quickly as possible.”
On Wednesday, Freeman said that the priority list for vaccination established by JCVI remains the same, with second doses of both vaccines required within 12 weeks.
The Health Secretary also confirmed that Scotland has 2,300 registered vaccinators “with adequate clinical experience” to assist with the launch, with a view to expanding it beyond nursing homes soon.
He added: “The next group of people, and the group to which the AstraZeneca vaccine really opens the door for us to be able to vaccinate easily, are those who are over 80 years old and live in their own homes, live in the community, not in caring homes .
“We will do it through local GPs, pharmacy and vaccination centers
“But as we go into larger groups of people, and people who are perhaps more mobile and have an easier time reaching larger centers, then we will use those larger centers, but initially the GP and pharmacy practice. local will be the place.
“In addition, we will bring mobile vaccination centers because a large part of our country, as you know, is remote and rural; it’s hard for people to get into cities etc so the trick is to get the vaccine to as many people as possible. “
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