Covid Scotland: 15,000 adults given first vaccine dose since start of December

Adults in Scotland have been urged to continue coming forward for their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine, with a promise there will be “no judgement” of those who do, as it was revealed thousands have received their initial jab in the past month.

Some 15,000 over-18s have received a first dose since the start of December, figures from Public Health Scotland show.

Almost 40,000 first doses were recorded in total, but the majority of these were delivered to under-18s, who became eligible for vaccination later.

All adults in Scotland have been eligible to receive a first dose since June.

Members of the public receive vaccinations on a vaccination bus at West College Scotland Clydebank Campus on December 17, 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland. Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

As of Thursday, 14,995 new first doses had been recorded for adults since December 1.

In the same period some 26,615 second doses were delivered to over-18s.

In total over 93 per cent of adults have now received a first dose of vaccine, while among over-12s this figure is 91.5 per cent.

All health board areas have recorded more than over 90 per cent of adults have been given a first dose.

Coverage is highest in NHS Borders, at 97.5 per cent, and lowest in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, at 90.8 per cent.

Aberdeen has the lowest coverage of any local authority, at 85.8 per cent. In Glasgow city the figure is 86.6, while in Dundee it is 87.2, and in Edinburgh 88.3.

In East Dunbartonshire coverage is recorded at 100 per cent.

Dr Linda de Caestecker, director of public health at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, urged the public to continue coming forward for first doses.

She said: “I’m a public health doctor, I’ve always believed prevention is better than cure, and vaccination is the best way to prevent serious disease.

“We don’t judge people, so even if you haven’t had your first or your second vaccination, we’ll just be so glad to see you at one of our vaccination centres.

“No-one is going to ask you why you’re coming today or why you didn’t come before. We just want you to come, as getting vaccinated remains the best way we can protect ourselves and our families.”

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Tuesday there should be no “embarrassment” for adults who have yet to come forward for a vaccination.

“The vaccine works and I ask everyone to go and get their vaccination if they have not had their first, second or booster doses,” she said.

"There is no embarrassment about doing it. People should go ahead and book an appointment or visit a drop-in clinic. They should also follow the restrictions, take lateral flow tests and go for PCR tests if they are eligible to do so.”

In an appeal at the end of December, Dr Andy Reddick, emergency medicine consultant and clinical service director for winter at NHS Tayside, said: “With the new strain of Covid-19 now circulating widely in our communities, one of the most important things you can do to help is to get vaccinated.

"Even if you haven’t had your first dose yet, our vaccination teams will welcome you to one of the many vaccination centres across Tayside. If you have had one or both of your first doses, please remember to get your booster.”

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