Question reference: S5W-35476
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 23 February 2021
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Current status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 19 March 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the COVID-19 outcomes for blood cancer patients who (a) are and (b) are not receiving active treatment, and how this is reflected in vaccine priority groups and shielding policy.
Answer
The Scottish Government is continuing to engage with the Joint committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on the issue of priority vaccines for terminally ill patients and those at risk of being immunosuppressed. I have written to the JCVI on this matter, and the response provided by JCVI advised that for the first phase of the COVID-19 mass vaccination programme, priority should be given to protecting those most at risk of dying from COVID-19.
JCVI priority group 4 includes all those 70 years of age and over, and clinically extremely vulnerable individuals. Group 6 includes all individuals aged 16 years to 64 years with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of serious disease and mortality. Group 6 also includes unpaid carers, including all adult carers and young carers aged 16 to 18.
Priority groups 4 and 6 are not completely distinct groups as such. In practice, delivery to these groups will be a matter of weeks apart. A person can therefore move in and out of these two groups with time rather than being static in one group.
Patients’ own clinicians will be best placed to provide specific advice, many will also be contacted by their own GP directly who will be able to provide specific clinical advice for their circumstances.
We will continue to work with the JCVI to monitor vaccine delivery.