More than 5,000 Scots given first dose of Covid-19 vaccine

More than 5,000 Scots have been given the first of two doses of the Pfizer BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.

Deputy charge nurse Katie McIntosh administers the first of two Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine jabs to Vivien McKay Clinical Nurse Manager at the Western General Hospital, in Edinburgh.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that 5,330 people have been given the jab so far, in an update to the Scottish Parliament on Thursday.

Vaccination began on Tuesday with the first doses given at the Western General in Edinburgh.

So far the vaccine has been administered in all health boards apart from Shetland, where the programme will begin this week.

The first vaccination in the Western Isles took place on Thursday morning.

Ms Sturgeon announced that weekly updates will now be given to the Scottish Parliament on how many people receive the injections.

She thanked all those involved in ensuring the vaccination campaign “got off to a positive start”.

"We know that this is a major undertaking in which there are significant logistical challenges,” she said.

Scotland received a delivery of 65,500 doses last week.

Half of these will be held back for second doses, in accordance with advice from medical bodies.

The initial goal of the Scottish Government was to vaccinate one million Scots before the end of January, with 320,000 doses delivered in the first week of December.

But limits on supply of the vaccine from Pfizer have reduced deliveries to the UK.

Ms Sturgeon said: “We can all be hopeful the start of vaccinations does mark the beginning of the end of the pandemic for Scotland.

“But the coming months will still be really difficult and all of us should do everything we can to keep ourselves and loved ones safe.”

A public information campaign about the vaccine will begin at the end of this month, with a door drop starting at the beginning of January, Ms Sturgeon said.

She added that all MSPs should have already received an information pack.

"I believe that yesterday an information pack with more information about the vaccination programme was distributed to all MSPs and placed in the Scottish Parliament information centre. I hope that that was helpful,” she said.

“As we have greater certainty over the supply, we will continue to update Parliament on the progress of that.”

Vaccination is expected to begin in care homes across Scotland from December 14.

Those giving the vaccine to others are first in the priority list to receive it, followed by residents and staff in care homes for older people, and then all those over 80 and health and social care workers.

Conservative MSP Miles Briggs raised a question about the delivery of the Covid-19 vaccine to patients in end of life care, citing an open letter from charities calling for palliative care patients and their families to be prioritised.

Ms Sturgeon said she will personally look into the letter.

"We will continue to do what we can to ensure that people who are at the end of their lives, and families who want to maximise the time that they have with loved ones, have the priority that they merit, and we will respond to the letter as soon as possible,” she said.

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