The Oxford/Astrazeneca coronavirus vaccine will be widely rolled out across Scotland from tomorrow.
First doses of the vaccine will start to be administered in GP practices and community centres throughout the rest of Scotland this week.
The vaccine was approved for use by the UK by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on December 30. It has already been administered in primary care settings in NHS Tayside, Lothian, Orkney and Highland.
Scotland has an allocation of 533,640 doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine in January. These doses are available for local order and delivery to the different parts of Scotland throughout the month.
Those aged 80 years and over will be invited to attend for vaccination by their local NHS Board or GP practice via a letter or by phone. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed in a briefing earlier this week that the Scottish Government aimed to have the age group fully vaccinated in the next four weeks.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “The delivery of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is a major development for the biggest vaccination programme we have ever delivered. I would like to thank everyone involved for their continued efforts to ensure the pace of the programme continues. Next week I will update parliament with further logistical detail of the vaccination programme.
“We have over 1,100 vaccination sites, including over 750 GP practices with a growing core of over 3000 trained vaccinators to deliver the vaccine. When it is your turn to be vaccinated you will be contacted by your local health board and I urge you to please take up the offer. Please do not contact your GP but wait for your letter or phone call. And please remember that when the time comes for your second dose, it is crucial you get it as this is vital for longer term protection and to complete the course.
“As ever, we are dependent on the vaccine supply and we continue to explore all possible options to speed up the delivery of all vaccine and bring forward timescales where possible.
“This work, alongside our expanded testing strategy, rigorously complying with restrictions where we live and adhering to the public health guidance, is essential to protect those most at risk and minimise further impact on the NHS and social care services.”
