GOVERNMENT IS URGED TO REVEAL VACCINE FIGURES
Opposition call for daily numbers to be published
PUB LI SHIN G daily vaccination figures is “vital” for public confidence, according to opposition parties, who are calling on the Scottish Government to be more transparent in its roll- out of the vital jag.
Unlike the UK Government, which is publishing more up- todate statistics, public health chiefs in Scotland have not published updated information on the number of people vaccinated since December 23.
The Scottish Tories’ health spokesman, Donald Cameron, thinks that seeing the numbers would encourage a faster roll- out of the vaccine and encourage confidence in the process.
He said: “It’s a question of transparency. This has been billed as a race between the vaccine and the virus. For us to be able to judge how well we are doing in the race we need to know these figures.”
He added: “There are now no excuses left for the SNP government to dodge publishing daily vaccination rates alongside the daily infection numbers as soon as possible.
“It’s vital the SNP start communicating clearly who will receive the vaccine and when.”
Scottish Labour has also backed calls for the government to improve its roll- out of the vaccine.
The party’s health spokeswoman, Monica Lennon, demanded that the Health Secretary “get to grips with the vaccination programme”.
She added: “It’s time for Jeane Freeman to publish daily figures on the number of vaccinations available and administered, and ensure that our NHS staff do not pay the price of a bungled rollout.”
It comes after we told yesterday how NHS workers were forced to wait for hours in the freezing cold after vaccinations were delayed at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary.
Staff were furious about the delay, for which the health board has since apologised.
The health board blamed the delay on a scheduling issue which meant staff who were expected to provide vaccinations had not shown up.
A spokeswoman said that people who missed their appointments would be given another slot.
Meanwhile, doctors leaders in Scotland have voiced concerns about UK plans to delay giving people the second doze of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine, claiming the move could cause a drop in the number of vaccinations in coming weeks.
Dr Lewis Morrison, chairman of the British Medical Association Scotland, said there was “clearly disagreement” among experts on the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine, with the second injection now due to be given 12 weeks after the first.
It was originally planned that people would be given the two doses three weeks apart, but with the UK struggling to deal with the faster spreading strain of Covid- 19, leaders have opted to try to get more people their first dose.
The UK’s four chief medical officers have insisted the first dose of either the Pfizer or the AstraZeneca vaccines – the two so far approved for use – gives people substantial protection against coronavirus within two to three weeks.
But Dr Morrison said BMA Scotland was concerned about the situation “because there is clearly disagreement about the effectiveness of the second dose of Pfizer after that period of time”.