Question reference: S5W-35323
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 18 February 2021
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Current status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 10 March 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when key agricultural workers will receive their COVID-19 vaccination and, in light of the approach of the lambing and calving seasons, whether it will consider bringing the date forward.
Answer
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 list 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.
At this stage in the vaccination programme every vaccine given to one of these groups would be one less vaccine to an at-risk individual.
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 is not being considered for the following reasons;
- Criticality of service is not an indication for priority vaccination because clinical risk is the overriding concern. This is influenced most greatly by age, not occupation.
- Currently there is no sectoral prioritisation of any workers other than frontline health and social care workers. This is because we don’t know enough about if the vaccine prevents spread, but it does reduce the harm to those most at risk should they catch the virus.
Our plans will remain flexible and we will continue to adjust these based on the guidance provided by JCVI.