Edinburgh's council leader praises the military for role in Covid vaccinations

Edinburgh City Council’s leader has thanked the military for its help in getting a mass vaccination centre up and running for the capital.

Praise for the military: Adam McVey

Adam McVey, who represents Leith for the SNP, also defended the Scottish government’s vaccination approach - which initially focused on care home residents and staff, but has fallen behind the rest of the UK in terms of general population vaccination rates.

On Thursday, military medics began administering vaccines for the first time in Scotland - a practice which was already in place in England - with teams beginning to operate from the Royal Highland Showground, Ingliston.

Up to 24 logistic support staff, mostly from Edinburgh-based 3rd Battalion The Rifles, have begun assisting health boards in the running of vaccination centres in NHS Lothian as well as Grampian, Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders.

At a full meeting of Edinburgh City Council, Conservative councillor Susan Webber, who represents Pentland Hills, asked: “Right now a young adult could wait up to two months longer to get a vaccination than in England.

“Would the council leader thank the 81 military personnel who have pitched up today at Ingliston to help us ram up our vaccination effort because that is the way we’ll get out of this pandemic?”

Council leader McVey said: “I’m happy to pay tribute to those who are bringing not just their personnel, to help with that process, but also their logistic skills.

“I know the army in particular has been involved in the national planning programme of the vaccination scheme in Scotland, pretty much from its inception, their contribution I think will be felt very positively on a national level and a local level, in getting as many jabs in as many arms as fast as possible.

“While the approach in Scotland has been slightly different, in terms of making sure that our care home residents, for example, are dealt with first, and get their jabs holistically and quickly, and our rates seem to suggest that - 91 per cent i note in England - I think we’re virtually at 100 per cent across Edinburgh, so these things are certainly positive and to be welcomed in terms of the way forward.

“I agree with councillor Webber - in thanking those who are contributing enormously to our ability to deliver - and I’d also extend that, and add thanks, not just to the army, volunteers, staff, NHS staff, who are all working round the clock to do this, but also some of our organisations in the city that are working towards that too.

“I know the ICC, the Royal Highland Showground and Heriot-Watt facilities have put an incredible amount of effort in as well.”

Other vaccinators will be deployed to health boards around the country, with five teams of 10 medics and management staff forming a “Vaccine Quick Reaction Force”, able to deploy around the country at short notice.

Up to 24 logistic support staff, mostly from Edinburgh-based 3rd Battalion The Rifles, will assist health boards in the running of vaccination centres in NHS Lothian as well as Grampian, Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders.

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