Current status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 24 March 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to prioritising COVID-19 vaccinations for teachers in the Joint Committee on Vaccines and Immunisation (JCVI) priority groups 5 to 9, and whether it has held discussions with the JCVI regarding this.
The Scottish Government follows the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) Guidance in the planning of vaccine delivery. This evidence based guidance advises that the single greatest risk of mortality from COVID-19 is increasing age, and that the risk increases exponentially with age. Additionally the committee considers frontline health and social care workers who provide direct care to vulnerable people a high priority for vaccination.
The JCVI priority lists represents 90% of the preventable mortality from COVID-19 in Scotland and throughout the delivery of the vaccination programme we will be guided by the clinical expertise of the JCVI, the MHRA, and our own senior clinical advisers.
The JCVI list now includes staff directly involved in the direct care of children and young people with the most complex additional healthcare needs who are clinically vulnerable to severe effects of COVID. They may be at higher risk of exposure due to their close contact with those providing health and social care support, particularly those with severe neuro-disabilities. They will be eligible under category 2 of the JCVI list. This includes staff working in special schools and units, and in some cases in mainstream schools. Staff supporting these children will undertake roles which will align to the multi-agency educational and care plans for these children who are the most clinically vulnerable.
We recognise the important role teachers and educational workers play, particularly during the pandemic, and want to get vaccines to everyone as quickly as we can.
To save lives it is essential that vaccinations are given to the first priority groups as set by the JCVI, these being residents in a care home for older adults and their carers, people over the age of 80, and frontline health and social care workers.
Prioritisation by sector in not being considered for the following reasons;
Our plans will remain flexible and we will continue to adjust these based on the guidance provided by JCVI.