Chamber and committees

If an individual has specific concerns arising from the results of a test they have taken, including related to their immunological response following vaccination, they should consult their primary clinician, who can determine whether further investigation is necessary.

The results of serology (antibody) tests, while indicative, may not be definitive. The value of antibody tests is currently limited to answering the question of whether someone has had COVID-19 before and providing data and a greater understanding on the spread of the virus. An antibody test cannot tell you if you’re immune to COVID-19 or whether you can or cannot spread the virus to other people.

Some individuals may not develop a serologically detectable antibody response to vaccination. Additionally, vaccination does not have an immediate protective effect, but takes up to 3 weeks to produce an antibody response. This is particularly true for elderly, immunocompromised, or infirm people.

In addition to the individual level of protection against severe disease or hospitalisation afforded by vaccination, an additional benefit of the vaccination programme is to assist in developing widespread community immunity and thereby reduce the force of transmission and viral reproduction rate, controlling the prevalence of COVID-19. The inoculation of a large proportion of the population will help to provide a degree of passive protection in the community for those who may develop a weaker immune response, although further research into the impact on transmission is underway. The majority of those inoculated with two doses of vaccine develop a high level of protection.

Further research is being conducted on the effect of the vaccination programme on transmission both in relation to current and new variants of concern. Until we know more, it is essential that everyone continues to follow public health guidance and the COVID-19 protection level rules which apply in their Local Authority area.

Scotland’s daily PCR test capacity is over 66,000 per day. This is made up of a combination of the aggregate capacity of all testing sites/facilities and distribution/collection services where individuals can get a test, and laboratory capacity to process the samples taken.

As set out in our updated Testing Strategy, published on 22 June, testing is key to quickly identifying and isolating positive cases to break chains of transmission within a community. The testing system is designed to be completely flexible so neither sampling nor laboratory capacity is allocated to a specific local authority area. We work with Public Health Scotland to provide local decision makers with insights and data to target tests where they are most needed. We are also helping to maximise existing testing interventions at the request of local incident management teams (IMT). Local authorities’ testing response will vary as their approaches will be targeted to meet the needs of their communities.

Details of the daily number of tests carried out and number of positive cases in the Glasgow area are available from the Public Health Scotland dashboard.

The Scottish Government has remained engaged with the aviation sector throughout the pandemic and will continue to do so, including on testing of international travellers.

Travellers returning from green and amber list countries must use the NHS tests, which can be booked through the UK Government’s booking portal for international travel. These kits are home test PCR kits provided by NHS Test & Trace. The cost of the kits is set by the UK Government and the process managed through its contract with the travel management company, so our ability to reduce costs unilaterally is limited.

Currently, we are not using private test providers for international travellers arriving into Scotland from green and amber list countries due to concerns about the speed and reliability of the flow of data from private companies. We are having on-going discussion with the UK government on any issues with using private test providers and any risks attached to this. We are keen to understand fully the key performance indicators (KPIs) that have been recently set for these companies and the process should these not be met.

The Scottish Government holds monthly performance meetings with all NHS Boards, including NHS Grampian. Their last meeting was earlier this month.

Officials also hold weekly cancer performance meetings to monitor the Board’s progress with regards to cancer services.

Recovering the NHS is our immediate focus, and this is why we have committed to publishing an NHS Recovery Plan within the first 100 days.

As part of this, we are investing over £330 million in a network of National Treatment Centres, one of which will be located in NHS Grampian. This will provide additional capacity for elective care.

All of our decision making in the approach to responding to Covid-19 is guided by the latest scientific evidence from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) , advice from Health Protection Scotland and our Chief Medical Officer. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) provides advice on immunisation to all UK Health Departments, including on the efficacy and safety of vaccines.

Decisions to prioritise one population group over another are not taken lightly, nor are they straightforward. That is why our prioritisation decisions have been, and will continue to be, guided by the independent expert advice from the JCVI.

It is also worth noting that this is the case with many other vaccines. People are not routinely offered a choice of the type of vaccines in other vaccine programmes in Scotland. The Scottish Government currently has no plans to introduce an option for receiving either Covid-19 vaccine, beyond a clinical recommendation.

Following the statements by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) we want to stress that the evidence shows that, overall, the benefits of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine outweigh the risks and it continues to be a safe and effective vaccine.

However, the Scottish Government will follow the JCVI recommendation to offer alternative vaccines to adults under 40 without underlying health conditions.

The JCVI and MHRA continue to monitor this carefully and are in regular contact with other regulators.

JCVI recommendations are set out in the Green Book, available at COVID-19 Greenbook chapter 14a (publishing.service.gov.uk)

GPs may make a recommendation for their patients to receive a specific vaccination if they believe there is a clinical need.

If the JCVI recommend a specific vaccination for any specific group we will of course take up this advice immediately.

The updated guidance regarding the extended use of face masks and coverings in hospitals, primary care, wider community care and adult care homes was published after consultation with numerous stakeholders, including Scottish Social Services Council, Scottish Care, Fair Work in Social Care Group, COSLA and GMB Scotland.

The guidance relating to residents wearing face masks in specific situations in care homes contained in the updated version (Version 3) guidance, published on 7 June 2021, was also contained in Version 2 of the guidance published in October 2020. Scottish Care, COSLA and the Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland (CCPS) were given the opportunity to comment on this earlier version of the guidance.

The Scottish Government listened to feedback on the recent update and worked in partnership with representatives from the sector to rapidly review the language and information relating to social care within the guidance. As a result of this review, social care guidance has been separated from hospital and primary care settings and has been updated to ensure it accurately communicates that residents are not required to wear a Fluid Resistant Surgical Mask (FRSM) or face covering within the care home. which is first and foremost their own home. It is a resident's choice whether to wear one.

The updated guidance on the use of face masks within social care settings including adult care homes was published on 23 June and is available at the following link

Coronavirus (COVID-19): use of face coverings in social care settings including adult care homes - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The Chief Nursing Officer and Scottish Government officials met with representatives from Scottish Care and Erskine Care Homes on 9 June 2021 to discuss the updated extended use of face masks and face covering guidance in hospitals, primary care, wider community care and adult care homes.

The guidance for social care settings was previously contained within the Coronavirus (COVID- 19): guidance on the extended use of face masks and face coverings in hospitals, primary care, wider community care and adult care homes, which was updated on 7 June 2021.

The Scottish Government listened to feedback on the recent update and worked in partnership with representatives of the sector to rapidly review the language and information relating to social care within the guidance. As a result of this review, social care guidance has been separated from hospital and primary care settings and has been updated to ensure it accurately communicates that residents are not required to wear a Fluid Resistant Surgical Mask (FRSM) or face covering within the care home, which is first and foremost their home. It is a resident's choice whether to wear one.

The updated guidance on the use of face masks within social care settings including adult care homes was published on 23 June and is available at the following link

Coronavirus (COVID-19): use of face coverings in social care settings including adult care homes - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The information requested can be found here: Housing statistics: Empty properties and second homes - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) . Please note the figures provided for each local authority area do not differentiate between the different types of empty property.

Information on the number of patients within NHS Grampian who have been waiting more than 12 weeks is published quarterly by Public Health Scotland and can be found at NHS waiting times - stage of treatment 25 May 2021 - Data & intelligence from PHS (isdscotland.org)

This data shows the number of (a) inpatient or day case admissions and (b) outpatient appointments who have been waiting over 12 weeks.

Data on vaccination is compiled and forwarded to the Scottish Government by Public Health Scotland.

We do not hold data on vaccination rate for specific illnesses of conditions, but on how many people in a specific cohort have been vaccinated.

Latest vaccination figures can be found here : Coronavirus (COVID-19): daily data for Scotland - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) and COVID-19 Daily Dashboard | Tableau Public