ALL ADULTS SET TO GET VIRUS JAG BY SUMMER

EVERY adult in Scotland is expected to be vaccinated against coronavirus by the summer, the Health Secretary has said.

Jeane Freeman (pictured main) revealed that dependent on supplies, 4.5 million will have received the vaccine.

The latest update showed that more than 52,000 people were given the jag on Saturday, taking the total across Scotland to have had a first dose to 839,226.

Freeman said: “There is a scenario where absolutely we move really fast, as long as supplies keep coming.

“Our ambition is to get through all those 4.5 million adults aged 18 and over in the summer.

“At this point it is not very sensible to give specific dates because there are a number of unknowns.”

So far, the programme is moving from the over-80s and care home residents to focus on getting all aged over 70 vaccinated by the middle of this month.

Once all the priority groups of everyone aged over 50, the clinically vulnerable and those with underlying health conditions have been completed, the plan will move on to the rest of the adult population aged 18 to 49.

Freeman said the timeframe for younger age groups getting the vaccine partly depended on supplies.

She said: “What is the case is that our infrastructure is there, we have the vaccinators, we have the support staff, we have the local and regional centres.

“So, we just keep going, as fast as we get supplies we will be vaccinating.”

The minister could not detail how the progress of the vaccination programme would impact on when lockdown is eased.

Current nationwide restrictions are due to be in place until at least the end of February.

She said: “Education has to be a priority, our children and young people have suffered a great deal in terms of their education and that is about their future.

“Then we will look and see what more can be done.

“We need to learn of course from our previous experiences, and that is every time you ease the restrictions – and of course that is what we all want – you see a rise in case numbers. So you have to have them as low as you can possibly go.”

The latest coronavirus statistics showed there were another 586 positive cases reported across Scotland and 125 were in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board area.

There were 1710 people in hospital with the virus, down 19, and 108 patients in intensive care, down nine.

In Greater Glasgow hospitals there were 487 people with Covid, down two, and there were 30 in intensive care, up by one.