insiderblmThe Scottish government is ready to start vaccinations “as soon as supplies arrive”, the first minister has said.
Nicola Sturgeon tweeted that the approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine in the UK was the “best news in a long time”.
British regulator, the MHRA, says the jab is safe to roll out and immunisations for people in priority groups could start within days.
The vaccine offers up to 95% protection against Covid-19 illness.
Britain is the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for widespread use.
The UK government has already ordered 40 million doses – enough to vaccinate 20 million people, with two shots each.
About 800,000 doses of the vaccine are expected to be available in the UK next week, with a share being made available for Scotland.
It is hoped that 10 million doses should be available after the new year, with 320,000 potentially coming to Scotland, according to BBC Scotland’s science correspondent Laura Goodwin.
“This is going to be an unprecedented logistical programme. The thing about the Pfizer vaccine is that it needs to be kept really cold -70C, -80C – so transporting it is going to be an issue,” she told BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland programme.
It is understood the army will help set up mass vaccination points around Scotland.
Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer Gregor Smith said the approval of the vaccine by the MHRA was “wonderful news”.
“First of several vaccines in pipeline and begins to change everything for our future,” he said.
Who will be vaccinated first?
Everyone in Scotland over the age of 18 will be offered a vaccination – that’s 4.4m people.
The UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has drawn up advice on how people should be prioritised.
It has said that the priorities for the first wave of vaccine distribution, from December to February, are:
- frontline health and social care staff
- older residents in care homes
- care home staff
- all those aged 80 and over
- unpaid carers and personal assistants
- those delivering the vaccination programme
What is the vaccine?
It is a new type called an mRNA vaccine that uses a tiny fragment of genetic code from the pandemic virus to teach the body how to fight Covid-19 and build immunity.
An mRNA vaccine has never been approved for use in humans before, although people have received them in clinical trials.
The vaccine must be stored at around -70C and will be transported in special boxes, packed in dry ice. Once delivered, it can be kept for up to five days in a fridge.
