Chamber and committees

Information regarding pregnant women currently in intensive care unit as a result of contracting COVID-19 or have been hospitalised and delivered their baby early is not held centrally by the Scottish Government and not yet publicly available. Public Health Scotland may be contacted and may be able to provide this information.

See S6W-04225 on 17 November 2021 for information regarding pregnant women admitted to intensive care during the period March 2020 to September 2021

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

In order to understand the role of vertical farming in the context of local food production, the Scottish Government is currently gathering views within our Local Food Strategy consultation. This is due to close on the 2nd of December 2021. Our next steps for supporting the sector will reflect the evidence gathered on vertical farming within the consultation.

We will continue to engage with stakeholders to ensure that we use vertical farming technologies to best effect for the Scottish context.

Information regarding pregnant women who have been hospitalised as a result of having contracted COVID-19 have delivered their baby early is not held centrally by the Scottish Government and not yet publicly available. Public Health Scotland may be contacted and may be able to provide this information.

We continue to provide advice and support to pregnant women regarding the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination to allow them to make an informed choice.

Copies of the Public Health Scotland (PHS) leaflet: PHS COVID-19 Vaccine Important Information about pregnancy and breastfeeding leaflet and the RCOG information leaflet and decision aid have been supplied to all maternity and vaccination clinics across Scotland. The national leaflets, published by Public Health Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Immunisation Programme, are provided to those who are invited for vaccination are part of an established and quality assured process, with strong links and similarities to the programme in the rest of the UK. The PHS leaflet is available in a range of languages and alternative formats , including British Sign Language, Audio, Easy Read, Large Print, etc. People should be given the PHS and RCOG leaflets from maternity services before they attend for vaccination and are encouraged to read both leaflets. The PHS leaflet is updated/reprinted when any new data emerges.

The Scottish Government ensures there is accurate signposting to www.nhsinform.scot/covid19vaccinepregnancy for current guidance, and a range of resources have been distributed including posters and social media assets, alongside training webinars.

Community outreach and external resources like Badgernet (an online platform that allows pregnant woman access to maternity records and information) are regularly updated with relevant material.

Health Boards (HBs) are regularly supplied with relevant information and lines to use regarding receiving the vaccine when pregnant, and the following videos were pushed out to HBs to be shared locally Pregnancy 15 second video Fertility 15 second video

Prof Jason Leitch has touched on the recommendation that pregnant women should be vaccinated in two Podcasts. One with Young Scot and one with Jambo radio. Both podcasts were pushed out by Scottish Government and issued to the boards for them to use locally

Public Health Scotland (PHS) have identified a total of 22,779 COVID-19 vaccinations given to 16,229 pregnant women in Scotland from the start of the COVID-19 vaccination programme on 8 December 2020 to 30 September 2021. Among 3,992 women delivering their baby in Sep 2021, the most recent month for which data is currently available, 1,342 (33.6%) had received any COVID-19 vaccination prior to delivery, and 946 (23.7%) had received two doses of vaccination.

The percentage of pregnant women in Scotland who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (received their second vaccine dose), alongside other relevant statistics from 8 December 2020 to 30 September 2021 can be found here: COVID-19 Statistical Report (publichealthscotland.scot) .

Please note, only first and second primary doses of vaccination have been included in these figures – not third primary doses or booster doses administered.

We will continue to provide advice and support to pregnant women regarding the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination to allow them to make informed choices.

Multiple resources across platform and in print, like the Public Health Scotland (PHS) leaflet: PHS COVID-19 Vaccine Important Information about pregnancy and breastfeeding leaflet will continue to be updated/reprinted when any new data emerges. The PHS leaflet is supplied to all maternity and vaccination clinics across Scotland.

Community outreach and the use of external platforms (like Badgernet and messaging through resources like podcasts), will continue to be identified and used where appropriate.

NHS resources are frequently updated allowing us to regular signpost pregnant women and their families for current guidance: www.nhsinform.scot/covid19vaccinepregnancy .

Additional resources like posters, social media assets, and training opportunities will continue to be considered regularly going forward, and how best they can be employed for maximum outreach.

No data is collected on the return or disposal of medicines due to the difficult nature of quantifying and recording this information. Health Boards are responsible for ensuring unused medicines are safely disposed of, though are not required to record this data.

The primary objective of the booster programme is to maintain protection against severe COVID-19 disease, specifically hospitalization and deaths, over winter 2021-22, and is aimed at maintaining protection in those most vulnerable and to protect the NHS. The autumn/winter vaccination programme also includes the biggest ever flu vaccination programme.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is clear that both of these programmes are important for individual and public health. So, wherever possible, eligible people will be offered COVID-19 and influenza vaccines together.

Booster vaccines will be offered to the same groups who were prioritized at the beginning of the COVID-19 vaccination programme in winter and spring 2020-21, and JCVI have advised that at least 6 months should have passed since a second dose before a booster is administered, however there is some flexibility to offer a booster vaccination to the most vulnerable groups after five months.

The Autumn/Winter vaccination programme continues to roll out in line with advice from the JCVI. The JCVI priority groups are based on either vulnerability to COVID-19, or on interacting with, and therefore possibly spreading to, people who are vulnerable to COVID-19. When someone received their invitation will depend on a number of personal circumstances.

Decisions to prioritise one population group over another are not taken lightly, nor are they straightforward. That is why our prioritisation decisions have been, and will continue to be, guided by the independent expert advice from the JCVI.

Our approach to service development and staff training is informed by UK-wide clinical guidance developed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and is focussed on supporting NHS Boards to develop tailored models of care appropriate for the needs of their populations.

Scottish Government Officials and Clinical Advisors continue to meet with colleagues across the UK home nations on a regular basis, in order to support the sharing of relevant practice developments as they continue to emerge.

It is important that new systems of care supported by a limited and emerging evidence base are properly evaluated within research conditions in order to deliver quality, cost-effective interventions that provide meaningful benefit for patients.

Our approach to service development and staff training is informed by UK-wide clinical guidance developed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and is focussed on supporting NHS Boards to develop tailored models of care appropriate for the needs of their populations.

Scottish Government Officials and Clinical Advisors continue to meet with colleagues across the UK home nations on a regular basis, in order to support the sharing of relevant practice developments as they continue to emerge.

It is important that new systems of care supported by a limited and emerging evidence base are properly evaluated within research conditions in order to deliver quality, cost-effective interventions that provide meaningful benefit for patients.