JOHN Swinney has rejected the UK Government’s claim that Scotland has received 700,000 doses of the two Covid vaccines.
His comments came after the Scottish Government were accused of taking their time with the jab roll-out. Yesterday in Holyrood, Ruth Davidson accused ministers of sitting on more than 400,000 vials of the Covid cure.
But speaking this morning, the deputy first minister said that while 700,000 jabs had been allocated to Scotland, they hadn’t yet all been received.
He said he couldn’t reveal exactly how many were in country because of strict UK Government confidentiality rules.
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Last week, the Department of Health was furious after the Scottish Government published a vaccine delivery plan detailing stocks.
They warned it could lead to manufacturers being pressured by other countries.
In an interview with the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland, Swinney was asked how many doses the Scottish Government had received. He said: “My hands are rather tied about how much I can talk to you about specific numbers.
“What I can say to you is that Scotland has an allocation of vaccination doses which we draw down through the supplier of the vaccine.”
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He confirmed the allocation was 700,000 but said he was unable to say how many of those were in the country.
He explained that doses had to be checked by the principal distributor then physically distributed to Scotland as a national allocation, then physically distributed to 1100 locations around Scotland.
Swinney said: “My hands are tied by the restrictions the UK Government imposed on us last week.
“We have taken steps to make sure that when vaccines become available we distribute them to the health and care system around the country.”
He said a lack of supply was behind the shortage in GP surgeries.
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Swinney said: “There’s a programme to make sure the vaccine gets to GP practices when they become available, when they come into the hands of the Scottish Government.
“We do not have that volume of vaccine in our hands. We cannot distribute it yet. It may have been allocated to us, and that’s very welcome.
“We will get it over the next few weeks.
“Which is why I can confidently say to you that the commitments we have given, that all over-80s for example will be vaccinate by the end of the first week in February is a commitment that will be fulfilled.”
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