Second doses of jab now at end of Feb

NHS Forth Valley will administer second doses of the Covid vaccine from the end of February.

The health board began administering the Pfizer/ Biontech vaccine on December 8.

The vaccine requires two doses and it was originally planned for everyone to receive their second vaccine dose 21 to 28 days later.

Following the approval of the Astrazeneca vaccine on December 30 the Scottish Government updated its guidance to health boards.

On January 1. chief medical officer Dr Gregor Smith wrote a letter outlining the updated vaccination programme arrangements.

It said the programme would now concentrate on giving as many people as possible the first dose after updated advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

The updated advice said those who were due to receive their second jag up to Monday, January 4 would continue to get immunised. But after that health boards were asked to reschedule second doses for 12 weeks after the first Covid jag.

As of January 18, 264,991 people in Scotland have received their first Covid vaccine and 3698 have received their second dose.

A spokesperson for NHS Forth Valley said the health board had not administered any second doses after January 4“in line with national guidance.”

The health board’s spokesperson said: “We have rescheduled original second dose appointments from January 4 in line with national guidance and these will now take place at the end of February/ beginning of March depending on the date of the first appointment.”

She added:“everyone who has received their first vaccine will receive their second within 12 weeks (the dates will vary depending on when they received their first one) again in line with national guidance.”