Question reference: S5W-35787
- Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 5 March 2021
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Current status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 19 March 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether acupuncturists are allowed to practice under the current COVID-19 restrictions and, if not, for what reason they have been offered vaccinations as healthcare workers.
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.
JCVI priority list represents 99% of the preventable mortality from COVID-19 and throughout the delivery of the vaccination programme we will be guided by the clinical expertise of the JCVI, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, and our own senior clinical advisers. Those eligible for vaccination as frontline health and social care workers are people who provide care closely and regularly to those who are clinically very vulnerable to COVID-19.
NHS Health Boards are responsible for the local delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine. As such, Health Boards are responsible for making decisions regarding local delivery in line with JCVI guidance. We would expect that vaccinations only be given to those working in businesses and practices that are allowed to operate under current restrictions.
Close contact services, which includes Complementary and Alternative Medicines Services (CAMS) - and therefore acupuncture - may only operate in level 4 areas, at this time, if they fall into a limited number of exemptions - these exemptions are for sports massage for professional sportspeople, osteopathy, and chiropractic services and "other services and procedures" that are "ancillary to medical, health, or social care services". As acupuncture is not included in these exemptions as an essential healthcare service at this time, acupuncturists will not be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine as a priority group unless they come under one of the other cohorts through age, or for health reasons.
We expect Health Boards to work within the nationally agreed prioritisation schedule to manage the distribution of vaccine supplies, which remain limited at this time. Some acupuncturists may have been offered a vaccine if they meet the criteria in one of the JCVI priority groups.