Chamber and committees

There is no issue regarding vaccine capacity. Obviously, we have to go through the process of vaccination in an orderly fashion to ensure that it is done efficiently. We have already expanded significantly vaccine availability as part of the programme.

The change in JCVI guidance on Monday increased the number of people who are eligible for a booster vaccination. If memory serves me right, an additional 1.3 million individuals immediately became eligible. Colleagues will understand that we cannot vaccinate 1.3 million people in one day, so we have to increase capacity to move through that as efficiently as possible. Work is under way to ensure that we satisfy the understandable demand that there will be in the community.

Prior to the new JCVI guidance, we were confident that all eligible individuals would be able to secure their booster vaccination before the turn of the year. We are confident that, with the new guidance in place, we will be able to reach that point by the end of January. There will be a period during which people will have to wait some weeks to secure their booster jag, but they will certainly get it earlier than would have been the case in other circumstances, such as if they had to wait 24 weeks after their second vaccination.

I will bring in Professor Leitch because of the clinical nature of some of the points.

Obviously, the vaccine will wane. Over the past few weeks and past two months, there was an increase in cases in the older age groups. Then, when the booster vaccination programme started to kick in for those age groups, the number of cases for them came down more aggressively than for other age groups. Professor Leitch can tell me if I have got this wrong, but I deduce from that that the vaccine was waning but the booster arrested that and gave more protection.

I think that members of Parliament have wrestled with that question for a considerable time. Indeed, Mr Fraser and a number of other members have been pressing the Government to take that step for some time.

The Government wanted to have a scheme in place that would help to boost vaccine take-up, which is why we resisted that move to begin with—it does not suit the purpose of our scheme. For completeness, however, I put on the record that, at the same time, we indicated the risk that Mr Fraser puts to me.

There is a risk here. I cannot deny that. However, the approach is part of the culture that we have to take forward if we are serious as a society about resisting the spread of the virus. We need to test ourselves and follow what the one or two red lines tell us when the test is complete. I encourage members of the public to take the process deadly seriously, and I know that many are doing so. There is very high demand for lateral flow tests, thankfully.

I return to the questions that the convener put to me at the beginning about how seriously people are taking the testing approach. Testing is a very important tool in stopping the circulation of the virus, and it would not be right for somebody to report a test result that was inaccurate. If Mr Fairlie will forgive me, I am not sure that it is for me to decide what is fraudulent and what is not, but that would not be the right thing to do, because it would undermine the purpose of the scheme and the taking of the test. I encourage members of the public to test and to report the findings accurately.

It is everybody. Personally, I am now undertaking lateral flow tests much more frequently. I was doing them twice a week, but I am now doing them much more frequently because of the degree of interaction that I have in the course of my work. I have no social life, but—

It would be best if Professor Leitch responds to those.

With a programme of such magnitude, there will be a phenomenal number of operational issues. We must bear in mind the numbers that we are talking about. More than 10 million vaccinations have now been undertaken. What has been achieved in the programme has been a colossal undertaking. I pay tribute to the staff who are delivering the vaccinations and those who are organising the programme, because it is not a simple logistical exercise.

Mr Rowley raised several points that need to be addressed, the first of which relates to the tweet that he mentioned. We have reiterated the guidance to health boards, and it is important that that guidance is applied in all scenarios and circumstances on the ground. I will take away the fact that an example has been raised with me where that message has clearly not reached all the distribution points for the vaccination programme. Obviously, there has been a change of circumstances and the advice is relatively new, and it takes time for those messages to be put across. However, I will make sure that the issue that Mr Rowley raised is taken up.

The second point concerns the capacity questions. When I answered Murdo Fraser, I said that there was certainly capacity in terms of the availability of vaccines. There is adequate provision of vaccines; the question is about the best means of administering the programme at a local level. Of course, there is a range of options for how we might go about doing that. There are probably three main options: a drop-in service; self-selection of appointment via the online portal; and setting appointments via letters from health boards.

There are upsides and downsides to each option. For example, sending out letters gives an order and an organisation to the programme, but the downside is that it takes time to get the infrastructure in place to administer and distribute the letters, and there will be a reasonable level of did-not-attends.

The portal option, which we are using, can give people a choice about when their appointment is. I was able to choose to go to Blairgowrie town hall on Sunday morning, which suited me down to the ground, and I have now had my vaccination. However, for some people, digital access is a challenge and other people might find that they cannot find an appointment that suits their choices.

The drop-in option, as Mr Rowley has recounted, can be quite challenging if too many people decide to drop in at the same time. The vaccination centre in Kirkcaldy was quiet this morning, as we heard from the member of the public whose tweet Mr Rowley quoted, but the vaccination centre in Dunfermline that Mr Rowley went to on Tuesday night was busy. The smoothing of demand is difficult with a system that has only drop-in appointments.

We have tried to opt for a means of balancing out the best of those options as far as possible. When I went on Sunday morning for my vaccination, the couple after me were drop-in candidates. They were not in a different queue; they were right behind me and they got taken right after me.

We are trying to work through every possible practical permutation to maximise access. Obviously, if the 1.3 million people who are now eligible for a vaccine decide to drop in for a vaccination today, there will not be adequate places. We are therefore trying to balance the vaccination programme over the country with a number of mechanisms to enable us to maximise participation in it.

We have a mass vaccination programme, which is under way. We are distributing in excess of 60,000 vaccinations daily in Scotland. We are the most vaccinated part of the United Kingdom, with the highest levels for first, second, third and booster vaccinations. We have a comprehensive mass vaccination programme.

The Government is looking at the situation from health board to health board, and the health boards have submitted plans to intensify the vaccination programme. Dialogue continues between the Government and health boards to maximise that capacity. The programme must take place in a variety of geographies and scenarios across the country. I assure Mr Rowley that we are trying to maximise the capacity of the vaccination programme, but he must accept that there is a challenge.

The two pieces of information that Mr Rowley has just given the committee highlight that challenge: before 11 this morning it was quite quiet at the Kirkcaldy vaccination centre, but last night, between five and eight o’clock at the Dunfermline vaccination centre it was very busy. That illustrates the challenge of operating such a programme. We are providing capacity. In Kirkcaldy this morning, drop-in appointments could be fulfilled because it was quiet, but in Dunfermline on a Tuesday night that becomes more problematic. I assure Mr Rowley that every step is being taken to maximise the programme.

Professor Leitch has been involved in work to expand the pool of individuals coming forward to deliver the vaccination. I will ask him to say a bit about that in a moment. The more that we draw in people from within the health service from other disciplines to administer the vaccination programme, the more that we will have to address the issue of what other services the national health service can deliver. If, to deliver the vaccination programme, we draw in healthcare staff who usually deliver elective activity, we will obviously reduce the capacity for the elective work of the national health service. I know how much it matters to the public and to members of the Parliament that we do as much elective work as we can. Jason Leitch might need to get more detail on that.

That last point completes the proportionality argument. At some point, we have to make a call that, on the basis of the best clinical assessment that we can get of the three factors of vaccine escape, transmissibility and serious illness, this is the moment to act. I accept that we might not have all the demonstrable evidence—or, indeed, the conclusive certainty—to support such a conclusion, but the fact is that the Government has been making such judgments since March 2020.

Yes—thank you, convener. I am grateful to the committee for the opportunity to discuss a number of matters, including updates to Parliament this week and last week on Covid-19 and the incidents to which the convener has just referred.

As set out by the First Minister on Tuesday, although case numbers in Scotland have continued to fall, the emergence of the omicron variant is deeply worrying, and it requires a proportionate and precautionary response. There are now confirmed cases of omicron in Scotland and Public Health Scotland is working hard to identify any and all cases as quickly as possible.

There are indications that omicron might be more transmissible than the delta variant, which is currently dominant in Scotland. However, at present, there is no evidence to indicate that the disease that is caused by omicron is more severe than that caused by other variants. Our understanding of the new variant is developing, and we will know more—especially about the protection that is provided by vaccines—in the days and weeks ahead, thanks to the dedication of scientists across the world.

Although I very much hope that our level of concern will reduce in coming weeks, our precautionary approach is the right one for now. As the First Minister set out on Tuesday, at this stage, we are not introducing additional health protection measures beyond some necessary travel restrictions. Instead, we are asking everyone to renew their focus on following existing protections. We need people to wear face coverings where required, maintain good hygiene, work from home wherever possible, ventilate indoor spaces and test themselves regularly. Those protections are especially important as cold weather and the possibility of festive gatherings mean that we might be spending more time inside with other people.

This week, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation updated its advice, such that 1 million more people are now eligible for booster vaccines. That is good news, as we know that vaccines are effective and save lives. Indeed, according to a study published last week by the World Health Organization, there might be more than 27,000 people in Scotland who are alive today only because of the vaccines.

With more than 88 per cent of the adult population having had two doses of the vaccine and more than 93 per cent having had one dose, Scottish ministers now consider it proportionate to amend the certification scheme to include negative test results. The change will make it possible for people who cannot be vaccinated, who are not yet fully protected, or who have received a vaccine that is not recognised by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, to be able to attend venues that are covered by the scheme.

The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Requirements) (Scotland) Amendment (No 4) Regulations 2021 make the necessary amendments to the Covid-19 certification scheme. With effect from 5 am on Monday 6 December, the scheme will allow people to show a record of a negative test for coronavirus that was taken in the 24 hours prior to attending a venue as an alternative to proof of vaccination.

Certification continues to play a role in helping us to increase vaccine uptake, reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission, alleviate pressure on our health and care services, and allow higher-risk settings to continue to operate. It is an alternative to more restrictive measures, such as capacity limits, early closing times or closure.

I am very happy to answer questions from the committee.

Essentially, we want the regulations to be in place to facilitate an increased level of protection and assurance in the run-up to the festive period. From 6 December onwards, people will be engaged in activities that are habitually associated with Christmas, including retail and hospitality opportunities. Putting in place the regulations at a moment when we are preparing for such events is the pragmatic approach that the Government wants to take to maximise protection and to maximise the involvement of members of the public in the assurance that we are trying to create.