First jabs for at-risk groups as nationwide vaccinations begin next week

Published on Thursday 15 October 2009 22:07

SCOTS will start receiving the swine flu vaccine from next Wednesday, the Scottish Government has announced.

Those in the "at-risk" groups will be sent letters from their GP inviting them to come in for the jab over the coming weeks, while patients in hospitals will receive the first doses.

It was previously thought that people would need two doses of the jab to protect them against the H1N1 virus. But the Scottish Government said the majority of people will receive just a single dose of the Pandemrix vaccine. Children in at-risk groups will need two doses of the vaccine.

Those in priority groups for the jab include all pregnant women, household contacts of people with compromised immune systems and people aged over six months and up to 65 years in the current seasonal flu vaccine clinical at-risk groups.

Frontline health and social care workers will be offered the vaccine at the same time as the first clinical risk groups.

It is hoped that 1.3 million Scots in these groups will be vaccinated by the end of the year. It is not yet known if everyone will end up being vaccinated.

Expert advice will be taken after the first phase of the campaign.

Yesterday health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said Scotland was one of the first countries in the world to receive the vaccine thanks to contracts in place before the outbreak.

She urged everyone in the at-risk groups to have the vaccine.

Ms Sturgeon said initial supplies of the vaccine would mainly be made available in hospitals in Scotland, before being rolled out to GPs.

England's Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, yesterday warned that the looming national postal strike was "extremely unwelcome" because GPs often posted appointment letters to patients.

Sir Liam said distribution of a second vaccine, Baxter International's Celvapan which is suitable for people with egg allergies, would also start around 26 October.