Coronavirus – government gives update on vaccination programme

The Scottish Government has now confirmed that 742,512 people have received the first dose of vaccine and 9,529 have also received their second dose.

As at 8.30am on Friday these are the people who have had the vaccination:

29,644 care home residents (99% of residents in older adult care homes and 93% of residents in all care homes)

40,029 care home staff (89% of staff in older adult care homes and 77% of staff in all care homes)

229,219 people aged 80 or over living in the community (92%) – this excludes care home residents who are reported separately

269,740 frontline health and social care workers exceeding the initial target of 230,000 staff provided by Health Boards. 

90,166 people aged 75-79 living in the community (47%) – this excludes care home residents who are reported separately

44,464 people aged 70-74 living in the community (16%) – this excludes care home residents who are reported separately.  

While The Edinburgh Reporter knows that there are definitely people in certain areas of Scotland who should have (and who have not yet) received their invitation to attend for vaccination, the Health Secretary Jeane Freeman MSP said: “All those aged over 80 should now have been offered a vaccine, and invites will have been sent to people in the 70-79 year old age group, and those in the clinically extremely vulnerable category.  

“We appreciate that some people may have changed address and/or their phone number and may not have received a letter or phone call.

“If you are 80 or over or housebound and have not had a phone call or letter you should contact your local GP.

“We are on track to make sure that those aged 70-79 and people aged 16 and over who are on the shielding list will have received their first dose of the vaccine by the middle of February – supplies permitting. If you are in these groups and have not received an invite for your first vaccination appointment by the end of this week you should call the national Covid Vaccine helpline on 0800 030 8013 (open daily, 8am-8pm). 

“We want to get the vaccine into arms as quickly as possible. Vaccination teams in health boards across the country are working extremely hard to achieve this and I am very grateful to them.

 “We continue to urge everyone to take up their appointment when they are offered one.

“If adverse weather conditions prevent you from travelling this weekend, you should follow the instructions for your area which are detailed on the NHS Inform website.

“The vaccination programme is one of three key ways we are working to beat this virus, along with our expanded testing programme to identify cases and break chains of transmission and the important lockdown restrictions everyone in Scotland must follow. All these measures work to greatest effect when they work together.”

Main photo of the EICC mass vaccination centre PA/Jane Barlow