Chamber and committees

I refer the member to answer S5W-35127 on 5 March 2021. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

The JCVI group has considered evidence and all factors including age, ethnicity occupation and additional vulnerabilities and concluded that rapid vaccine deployment is the most important means to maximise public health benefits against severe outcomes from COVID-19.

The JCVI also recommends a particular focus through communications and outreach on promoting uptake of the vaccination in Phase 2 for those who are in particular minority ethnic communities such as ethnic minorities or travellers and for those who are obese/morbidly obese, and those experiencing socio-economic deprivation.

The Scottish Government is working with faith based, third sector and community groups to reach out to more people from deprived communities to increase the vaccine uptake.

We have put in place financial and practical support to ensure all parts of our community have the knowledge and confidence to participate in this vaccination programme and to remove any practical barriers.

The above mentioned steps will ensure that vaccine information is accessible and culturally appropriate – and delivered by trusted voices such as community leaders.

Following extensive research to determine motivations to vaccinate we launched a mass communication public health marketing campaign ‘Roll up your sleeves’ to promote the roll out of the vaccine programme, on 21 st January. The Roll Up Your Sleeves campaign will run across TV, radio, outdoor, press, PR and social media channels until end March and plans are in place for future phases of the activity to support the younger audiences and encourage vaccine uptake.

The campaign will reach a very large (99.1%) of all adults (4.36m) in Scotland who will see the advertising a minimum of 20.6 times. The campaign signposts the public to a national helpline and to NHS Inform where more further detailed information on the vaccine programme is available and is updated regularly.

The Armed Forces are supporting planning activity at a national and local level. They are helping to ensure that by the time sufficient vaccination supplies are in place, we have the facility to deliver around 400,000 doses per week by the end of February.

This includes identifying and operationalising vaccine sites before handing them over to NHS Scotland staff.

We call on armed forces support as and when it is needed, and are conscious of the demands on their time, given the pressures that NHS hospitals in England have been under.

Should health boards require additional support, we will consider extending the Military Aid to Civil Authorities (MACA) request, depending on individual requirements.

All NHS Scotland Health Boards have been offered military support and these boards continue to respond effectively to the needs of their communities.

Scotland’s COVID-19 vaccination programme continues to deliver at pace, which is down to the enormous efforts of our vaccination teams.

Just over a third of those eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination in Scotland have now received their first dose – that is one and a half million people in the groups which were prioritised to address 99 per cent of preventable deaths associated with COVID-19 in the United Kingdom.

We continue to vaccinate as fast as possible, supply permitting. We do have the capacity and infrastructure in place to deliver 400,000 vaccines per week.

Our intention is to have offered first doses to everyone on the JCVI priority list by mid-April, supplies permitting.

Beyond that - again assuming we receive adequate supply - we will aim to have offered first doses to the entire adult population by the end of July, earlier than the planned date of September.

We are on course to exceed our target of recruiting 250 Community Link Workers across Scotland by the end of the Parliament. As of March 2020 there were 217 Community Link Workers in post, all of whom have played a crucial role in supporting patients during the pandemic and helping those who are shielding.

I refer the member to answer S5W-35127 on 5 March 2021. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

To date, our latest management information indicates a wastage rate of around only 1.8% - well below our planning assumption of 5%, which is a precautionary approach for worst case scenarios and in line with global best practice.

Close to 12,200 vaccinators are registered on our national Vaccination Management Tool.

Boards are approaching 1,400 support staff headcount available for deployment.