New Covid-19 vaccine next week as cases on the rise
People in Scotland will begin to receive the first doses of the newly-approved Oxford Astrazeneca Covid-19 vaccine from Monday.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told MSPS yesterday that the new vaccine approval would allow Scots to be vaccinated much more quickly.
The Oxford A st raZe neca vaccine dose scan be given 12 weeks apart, and Ms St urgeon announced that guidance has changed around the time between doses of the Pfizer vaccine, now also 12 weeks. This will allow the focus on to be giving a first dose to more people, expediting the vaccination process.
People in Scotland will begin to receive the first doses of the newly-approved Oxford Astrazeneca Covid-19 vaccine from Monday.
Giving a Covid -19 update at Holyrood yesterday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the new vaccine approval would allow Scots to be vaccinated much more quickly.
The Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine doses can be given 12 weeks apart, and Ms Sturgeon announced that guidance has changed around the time b et ween doses of the Pfizer vaccine, saying they can be given 12 weeks apart as well. This will allow the Scottish Government to focus on giving a first dose to more people, expediting the vaccination process.
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said 523,000 doses of the vaccine would be available in the UK from Monday. This is around 40,000 doses for Scotland, which receives the product at a proportionate rate to population.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said yesterday that NHS and Scottish Government staff would work through the New Year period to get the new vaccine ready to roll out “as soon as possible”.
She said a “brighter spring” may be coming in the wake of the approval.
Ms Freeman previously said the new jab could be given to those over the age of 80 by GPS from the beginning of January. She said the approval of this second vaccine would make it easier to vaccinate people in a wider range of settings.
Mr Hancock told the House of Commons the Oxford/ AstraZeneca vaccine was a “world-first” and was a “huge British success story”.
He said: “The vaccine is the route out of this crisis and the approval this morning of the Oxford/astrazeneca vaccine is another world-first for Britain and it’s the single biggest stride that we’ve been able to take since this pandemic began.”
Mr Hancock added :“Partnered with Astrazeneca, we’ve done a brilliant job to develop and manufacture a safe and effective vaccine at speed. I’m sure the whole House will join me in congratulating everyone involved in this huge British success story.
"We need to vaccinate as quickly as supply allows, following the necessary safety checks of course, and the NHS stand ready to accelerate deployment at scale from Monday, January 4.”
Dr June Rai ne, chief executive of the Medicine sand Healthcare products Regulator y Agency (MHR A) which approved the drug, said her team of scientists and clini - cians had" very carefully and methodically and rigorously reviewed all the data on safety, on effectiveness, and on quality" relating to the vaccine. She added :" No corners, whatsoever, have been cut. The safety of the public always comes first ." Data published in The Lancet medical journal in early December showed the vaccine was 62 per cent effective in preventing Covid-19 when given as two full doses, but also appeared to prevent any severe disease.
The MHR A has authorised two full doses of the vaccine, with the second dose given four to 12 weeks after the first. It said the vaccine was up to 80 per cent effective with a threemonth inter val bet ween the two doses.