Daily Covid-19 vaccination rate set to halve as supply drop takes effect
Theeffectofanexpecteddrop in Covid-19 vaccine supply will be seen in Scotland this week, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has warned, with daily figures expected to be around half what they were last week.
Ms Sturgeon said she expects Scotland to vaccinate around 30,000 people a day this week, in contrast to last week when figures hovered around 60,000 a day.
The NHS Louisa Jordan will operate on just five days a week rather than seven to account for the limited supply. Some other centres around the country may reduce their hours, Ms Sturgeon said.
Vaccination figures
announced for Sunday had already dropped below those of last week, although lower vaccination rates have been reported every Sunday since the beginning of the rollout.
Some 31,416 first doses were given on Sunday, bringing the total first doses in Scotland to 1,255,190. Ms Sturgeon said the Scottish Government’s target of offering a vaccine to all over-70s and the clinically extremely vulnerable by that date had been met.
The First Minister said last week that vaccination rates were due to dip in the last two weeks of February, as Pfizer is set to pause manufacturing to increase capacity for future production.
Doses delivered by Pfizer to the UK from February to March are set to remain unchanged, and the UK Government insisted there was “no issue” in relation to supply.
Ms Sturgeon said other vaccination centres may limit their operating hours . due to the drop in supply.