Question reference: S5W-34695
- Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 21 January 2021
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Current status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 1 February 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on providing COVID-19 vaccinations to police officers before the wider roll-out to the general public.
Answer
The Scottish Government greatly value the work of Scotland’s police officers and staff in keeping communities safe throughout this pandemic, they have been at the frontline of this public health response and we are grateful for the work they have undertaken.
Decisions to prioritise one population group over another are not taken lightly, nor are they straightforward. That is why our prioritisation decisions are guided by the independent expert advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.
The Scottish Government is adhering to the priority list devised by the JCVI which has been designed to target those at greatest risk from this virus and it is estimated to address over 90 per cent of preventable mortality from the virus in Scotland. This is the priority rollout all nations of the UK are working towards and it is vital that we adhere to these lists in order to avoid more lives being lost.