Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Sturgeon visits vaccine centre as staff prepare for rollout
NICOLA Sturgeon has visited a centre where the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine is due to begin on Tuesday.
The first minister met staff who are coordinating the vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNTech at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh.
The first to get the jab will be the vaccinators themselves, with priorities set by the UK-wide Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
The Western General is one of 23 sites around Scotland which will act as vaccination centres for the priority groups.
Ms Sturgeon said: “I’m grateful to everyone involved in giving this vaccine to those who need it most.
“By vaccinating the priority groups they will be covering those associated with 99% of preventable Covid-19 deaths.
“That is a very compelling reason to put these groups first in the queue for this vaccine.”
She added: “Finally there is light at the end of the tunnel. But I ask everyone to be patient as we work our way through this vaccination programme and continue to follow FACTS to keep us all safe.”
The Scottish Government said it has received an initial batch of 65,000 doses, with more on the way.
Each person requires two doses of the vaccine.
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine must be stored at minus 70C (minus 94F) before being thawed out, presenting a logistical challenge in delivering it to care homes.
Planning is under way for the vaccine to be delivered to care home residents from December 14.
Ahead of the vaccine programme starting, Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said: “The UK Government is playing a key role in making sure everyone in the UK will have access to vaccines.
“UK military planners have been working with the Scottish Government and a number of Scottish health boards to provide the strategic planning expertise to help make sure that the vaccine is rolled out as quickly and efficiently as possible across Scotland.”
Meanwhile, Scotland has recorded 22 coronavirus deaths and 777 new cases in the past 24 hours, the Scottish Government confirmed.