Nicola Sturgeon admits she’s ‘got things wrong’ on coronavirus

On Monday, the First Minister revealed more than 100,000 people have so far received their first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech or Oxford/AstraZeneca jab. Ms Sturgeon hopes Scotland will have access to at least 800,000 further doses by the end of this month. She is also aiming for everyone over the age of 50 and younger people with underlying health conditions to receive their first dose of either vaccine by early May.

But political rivals have been quick to notice this timeline contradicts with the target previously stated by Health Secretary Jeane Freeman of having Scotland’s entire adult population of 4.4million people vaccinated “by spring”.

On Monday, Ms Sturgeon told MSPs in the Scottish parliament: “Our current expectation, based on assumptions about supply and the new advice on doses being administered up to 12 weeks apart — rather than three — is that by early May everyone over 50, and people under 50 with specific underlying conditions, will have received at least the first dose of vaccine.

“That is everyone who is on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation priority list, and comprises more than 2.5 million people.

“Once everyone on the priority list has been vaccinated, we will start vaccinating the rest of the population, in parallel with completing second doses for those on the priority list.”

We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

But the First Minister also warned: “Those timetables are of course heavily dependent on vaccine supply. And for that reason, they are also cautious.

“However, I have tasked our vaccination team with exploring and keeping under review all options to speed up the rate of vaccination and bring these timescales forward as far as possible.”

On November 19, Ms Freeman told MSPs that despite some hurdles to be overcome, the Scottish Government hoped the vaccine programme’s delivery would “take from December to spring to complete in full”.

That same day, the Government told reporters during a briefing the third phase of the programme, consisting of mass vaccination of the country’s wider population, would begin from early April at the latest.

Then on December 23, Ms Freeman said the aim was to have all those on the priority list from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to receive a jab “by spring” ahead of beginning the vaccination programme for the rest of Scotland.

But political rivals have been quick to notice the timetable discrepancies, with Scottish Labour’s health spokeswoman Monica Lennon warning: “The public will be worried that the goalposts are shifting already.

“The Scottish Government has taken too long to roll out and expand Test and Protect. We can’t afford any delays or setbacks on the vaccine programme.

“The Health Secretary and the First Minister need to clarify these dates and plans.”

DON’T MISS
Boris Johnson told to ‘mobilise Army’ in push to vaccinate 13 million [COMMENT]
UK lockdown: GP warns Covid a ‘lost battle’ as UK heads into shutdown [VIDEO]
Dialysis patient, 82, becomes first in the world to receive Oxford jab [PICTURES]

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie also warned: “Everything hinges on this vaccine operation running smoothly — our economy, children’s education and so many people’s mental health.

“People will rightly become frustrated if the timetable continues to shift further and further away. This is an almighty task but one we’ve had months to prepare and cannot afford to fail on.”

The latest row comes as Scotland returns to a full national lockdown until at least the end of the month, with Ms Sturgeon urging people without a “genuine essential purpose” to stay at home.

The latest tougher restrictions in all Level 4 areas of the Scottish Government’s five-tier system came into effect from midnight on Tuesday, in a bid to fight off the new, faster-spreading strain of COVID-19.

Speaking at the Scottish Government’s coronavirus briefing on Tuesday, Ms Sturgeon: “Staying at home whenever possible is the best way of protecting ourselves, protecting each other, protecting the NHS and ultimately saving lives.”

She added: “Fundamentally, I’m asking everybody to really try hard to stay at home as much as possible, and only leave home if it is for a genuinely essential purpose.”

Source: Read Full Article