A “GAME-CHANGING” Covid vaccine will be rolled out across Scotland from tomorrow.
The newly approved Oxford/AstraZeneca jag has already been administered in the Tayside, Lothian, Orkney and Highland health boards.
First doses will now start to be given out through GP practices and community centres across the rest of the country from this week.
Those aged 80 or older will be contacted by their health board to receive the vaccination.
READ MORE: Coronavirus: The areas in Scotland with most Covid cases
Scotland has an allocation of 533,640 doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine for January.
More than 110,000 people have also received the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine since it was approved in early December. A third Covid jab, Moderna, has now also been approved for use in the UK.
Professor Jason Leitch, Scotland’s national clinical director said while the Moderna vaccine was on order, it was still being made and expected to arrive in the next few months.
But he added: “AstraZeneca is the big game-changer for us, as it is made principally in Wales … and that is the one which is in the country and we are going to get hundreds of thousands of doses of that in January.”
Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland yesterday, Leitch said people would “almost certainly” be given whatever jab is available at the time rather than have a choice of jabs – but added this was not unusual in vaccinations.
He also said it was possible in the future different vaccines could be given for the first and second doses.
“In time, as we do more trials, it may be that doesn’t matter, as you don’t get Pfizer antibodies – you get antibodies,” he said.
“And your cells don’t know you got the AstraZeneca injection – you just got the injection.
“We are not going to do that yet.”
READ MORE: Covid figures in Scotland today: 93 more deaths recorded as cases rise
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “The delivery of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is a major development for the biggest vaccination programme we have ever delivered.
“I would like to thank everyone involved for their continued efforts to ensure the pace of the programme continues. Next week I will update Parliament with further logistical detail of the vaccination programme.”
Freeman asked that eligible Scots wait to be contacted by authorities to receive the vaccine and urged those contacted to receive the inoculation to attend and make sure they also have the second dose.
“We have over 1100 vaccination sites, including over 750 GP practices with a growing core of over 3000 trained vaccinators to deliver the vaccine,” she said.
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