Covid in Scotland: Under-50s urged to be 'patient' over Covid vaccine

People under the age of 50 who do not have underlying health conditions have been urged to be patient while waiting for their Covid vaccination.

Scotland's national clinical director, Prof Jason Leitch, said it was hoped the vaccination of younger people could start by the summer.

But he said the timetable would depend on the availability of the vaccine.

Prof Leitch was speaking as the country prepares to start vaccinating people from next Tuesday.

Scotland's first batch of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is already on its way, and will be stored at ultra-low temperatures in freezers across the country.

The exact locations are being kept secret for national security reasons.

The UK government has ordered a total of 40 million doses, enough to vaccinate 20 million people, with 800,000 doses due to be available for use from next week.

Scotland will receive a proportionate share - 65,500 doses - of this first batch.

The UK has also pre-ordered seven million doses of another vaccine from Moderna, and 100 million doses of a vaccine that has been developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca.

Health chiefs have described the vaccination programme as the country's biggest logistical operation since the World War Two.

All 4.4 million people over the age of 18 in Scotland will be offered the vaccine, starting with those who will be administering it, as well as frontline health and social care staff and people over the age of 80.

It is expected to start being administered in care homes, which have been badly hit by the pandemic, from 14 December.

Opposition parties have questioned how prepared the Scottish government is for the vaccination programme, and have called on it to set out clear plans and benchmarks so that people know exactly what is going on.

Speaking at the Scottish government's daily coronavirus briefing, Prof Leitch said that 99% of Covid deaths could be prevented by vaccinating the over-50s and younger people with pre-existing health conditions.

He said the aim was to complete this phase of the programme by the summer - but added that the "biggest unknown" was the timetable for vaccinating healthy people under the age of 50.

Prof Leitch added: "Once we get to the under-50s, we are going to need big numbers of the vaccine, and that is why you can't get us to say a month or a date. That group will have to be more patient.

"I would hope that would begin in the first half of next year, but it will depend entirely on AstraZeneca particularly getting us the vaccine."

He also said it was not yet know whether people would need to have the Covid vaccine regularly in the future - as happens with flu.

Speaking earlier this week, Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said the first phase of vaccinations should be completed by the end of the spring.

"The rest of the adult population will follow as quickly as possible thereafter", she added.

As well as being offered to all adults over 18, Pfizer vaccine will be given to 16 and 17-year-olds with underlying health conditions.

However it is not suitable for pregnant women, or those planning on conceiving in the next three months.

Ms Freeman also insisted the Scottish government was "on track" to recruit the 2,000 vaccinators who will be required to administer the injections.