The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
1m Scots to get vaccine by the end of January
Amillion Scots will be vaccinated against Covid-19 by the end of January in “one of the biggest civilian logistical challenges in our lifetime”, the health secretary has confirmed.
Jeane Freeman told MSPs that every person over the age of 18 in Scotland will eventually be able to receive the jab, and that an initial workforce of more than 2,000 doctors, nurses, pharmacists and dentists will be ready before February.
The wider population may need to wait until late spring or early summer to be vaccinated and even then public health officials fear the programme may need to be repeated several times before the country can return to normal.
T he first “early and limited” delivery of doses to Scotland is expected to take place in the first week of December and officials hope some individuals may be able to be vaccinated in their own home, depending on the properties of the drug.
Pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Moderna have announced effectiveness of more than 90% in phase three clinical trials for each of their candidate vaccines in recent weeks, and a further 10 are still undergo ing med ica l research, including three in Scotland.
Ms Freeman said the Scottish Government is planning on the basis the independen t Jo in t Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) will be able to recommend a licence be given to at least one of the vaccines in the coming weeks.
The health secretar y said the global scientific research and pharmaceutical community had come together like never before but while the speed of development is impressive, “it is not at the expense of safety”.
She said: “In the first wave of our plan, from December through to February, we will vaccinate frontline health and social care staff, older residents in care homes, care home staff, all those aged 80 and over, unpaid carers and personal assistants, and those who will be delivering the vaccination programme.
“The current interim advice from JCVI is that we then work through those aged over 65 and those under 65 who are at an additional clinical risk, and then we move to the wider population.”
Ms Freeman said ministers were hopeful that more than one vaccine may be available “over the coming weeks into 2021” but said there was still a number of challenges and unknowns in the delivery programme that could take months to fully resolve.
She said those in the first tranche to receive the jab will be contacted in December and January by mail or – for health and care workers – by their employer.
A national online booking system will also be available from the beginning of phase two of the programme , in February, and Ms Freeman confirmed medical workers, including some who are retired, will help staff the Covid jab workforce.
“We need a workforce that is diverse in its skills and availability,” she said.
“Our planning assumption is that, for vaccinators and support staff, we will need over 2,000 by the end of January so that, vaccine availability and delivery schedules yet to be confirmed, we will be able to vaccinate around a million people by that time.
“We, of course, need registered clinicians to vaccinate and to supervise vaccinations, nurses and doctors, but also the wider clinical workforce, such as pharmacists, dentists and optometrists.”
“We need a workforce that is diverse
Afew weeks ago the prospect of an effective vaccine against Covid-19 still felt like a dream. Now here we are, with two candidates close to being licensed, another 10 in medical trials and a pledge that a million Scots will be vaccinated by the end of January.
If 2020 was a drama, the audience would be on the edge of their seats right now as the writers throw all their best material at the spectacular closing episodes.
The declaration yesterday from health secretary Jeane Freeman feels bold but suddenly achievable, although her caveat that this will be “one of the biggest civilian challenges in our lifetime” is a reminder that we are not out of the woods yet. It may be late spring or early summer before the wider population receives the jab and even then the programme may need repeated before life can return to whatever normal looks like in a post-pandemic world.
There is still a way to go, but to reach this stage the global scientific research and pharmaceutical communities have moved mountains and there is every reason for cautious optimism that those involved in the next steps towards the health secretary’s ambitious target will rise to the challenge too.
Until then, the public health advice – wash your hands, wear a mask, keep your distance – is as important as ever. It’s down to all of us to ensure there is no twist in this tale.