Tag: vaccination programme

Scotland’s 12 -15 year olds to be offered COVID-19 vaccination

And booster jag for adults from next Monday

Children and young people aged 12 -15 years old will be offered a dose of the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination from Monday (20 September) after Scottish Ministers accepted advice from the four UK Chief Medical Officers (CMOs).

As a result, a dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will be offered to all children and young people aged 12-15 who are not already covered by existing advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) in a move to reduce the disruption caused to education by COVID-19.

This group will be offered their injections in drop-in clinics and community settings followed by each young person receiving a letter inviting them to attend a community clinic.

For some rural Health Boards, those aged 12 to 15 will first be offered the vaccine at school.

Following the initial phase, vaccines will be offered in both communities and schools so that anyone who hasn’t been vaccinated but would like to be has the opportunity to take up the offer.

Meanwhile, people who received their vaccination during phase one of the national COVID-19 vaccination programme in Scotland will start to receive booster injections from 20 September.

This follows advice from the JCVI which has advised that the booster dose can be given alongside the flu jab and should be offered no earlier than six months after completion of the primary vaccine course.

Frontline health and social care workers will be able to book their appointment online at NHS Inform from 20 September and from that date, residents in care homes for older people will be offered both flu and COVID-19 booster vaccination.

Adults aged 70 years and over and adults aged 16 years and over who are on the highest risk list (previously known as the shielding list) will be contacted soon, either by letter or by their GP. 

People on the highest risk list who were severely immunosuppressed at the time of their last COVID-19 vaccination will be offered a third primary dose instead. Other eligible groups – including all those aged 16 to 49 years with underlying health conditions, adult carers, unpaid and young carers, adult household contacts of immunosuppressed individuals and all adults over 50 – will be able to book online from October.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “I want to thank Dr Gregor Smith and the other three UK CMOs who have taken the time to consider the benefits of offering a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination to 12-15 year olds.

“I recognise the impact disruption to education can have and am keen that we do all we can to reduce this so I am happy to accept the recommendation to proceed.

“As the CMOs recommended, informed consent must be at the heart of decision making so we will ensure that there is clear communication with this age group and their parents so they understand the potential benefits, potential side effects and the balance between them.

“A new leaflet from Public Health Scotland will be circulated to ensure parents, carers and young people have all the information they need. Individual choice is central to this, and the decisions of parents, carers and children will be respected.

“Alongside the booster programme this will be a busy period for our largest ever vaccination programme but work has been underway for some time to plan for this and I am confident our roll-out will continue to be a huge success.”

Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday 14 September 2021

Thanks, Presiding Officer,

I will give an update today on the latest COVID situation.

I can confirm that the Cabinet met this morning, and decided not to make any immediate changes to the current regulations in place.

I will also give an update on certain other issues, most notably the mitigations in place for schools, including of course our approach to vaccination of 12 to 15 year olds, and the issue of a vaccine booster programme, which we have received final JVCI advice on this morning.

Firstly, though, to recap on today’s statistics.

3,375 positive cases were reported yesterday – 11.4% of all tests.

1,064 people are currently in hospital with COVID – 16 more than yesterday.

And 89 people are receiving intensive care – that is one fewer than yesterday.

Sadly, a further 21 deaths have been reported in the past 24 hours, and the total number of deaths under the daily definition is now 8,263.

And, as always, I send my condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one.

Good progress continues to be made in the vaccination programme.

As of this morning, 4,144,904 people have had a first dose and 3,788,551 have now had both doses.

95% of people over 40 are fully vaccinated with two doses now, as are 73% of 30-39 year olds, and 60% of 18 to 29 year olds.

Around 76% of 18-29 year olds have, though, had a first dose, so the proportion in that age group who become fully vaccinated will continue to increase in the weeks ahead.

In addition, 65% of 16 and 17 year olds have now had the first jag – which is five percentage points higher than at this time last week.

Presiding Officer,

Although the level of infection in Scotland remains too high, there are continuing signs that the recent spike in cases is now slowing down.

Indeed, we are now seeing early signs – not just that the rate of increase is slowing – but that cases are now actually starting to fall slightly.

This can be seen in the last three weeks’ data

In the week to 28 August, there were an average of 5,651 new cases a day – which was an increase of more than 80% on the previous week.

In the week to 4 September, average daily cases were 6,290 – still an increase, but one of just 11%.

However, in the seven days to 11 September – so the most recent seven-day period – cases have fallen to an average of 5,506 per day – which is 12% lower than last week.

It might also be worth providing some detail on the age breakdown of cases.

In the past week, more than 70% of cases have been in the under 45s.

And that’s consistent with the pattern we’ve seen throughout this latest wave.

However, the picture varies across different age groups – that said, there are broadly positive signs now in all of them.

Two weeks ago – in the week to 4 September – the number of cases in the 0-14 year old band rose by 51%. However in the past week, cases in that age group have fallen by 5%.

Amongst 15-24 year olds, cases fell by 16% two weeks ago, and have now fallen even further – by 34% – in the most recent week.

Two weeks ago, cases in the 25-44 year old age group rose by 7%, and last week, they fell by 14%.

Finally, the number of cases amongst the over 65s has risen slightly, but again the rate of increase has slowed down over the past week.

This most recent data underpinned Cabinet’s decision earlier today not to reintroduce any restrictions.

I am very grateful to everyone – organisations, businesses and individuals – who has taken extra care in recent weeks to try to stop this spike.

It does seem that these efforts are making a difference.

That said, of course, our position does remain challenging.

Even though new cases have fallen, they remain five times higher than at the start of August.

Universities are now returning for a new term. That is very welcome – but it also creates some additional risk, and I will say more shortly about how we are working to mitigate that risk.

Overall, though, the key point is this – the recent fall in cases is very welcome, but we cannot take it for granted. We must continue efforts to keep cases on a downward track.

The NHS is already under considerable pressure and any further rise in cases would intensify that.

As we know, vaccination has significantly weakened the link between cases of COVID and serious health harm from COVID.

The proportion of people with the virus who end up in hospital remains much lower now than before the vaccine programme started.

But current case numbers reflect how transmissible the Delta variant is.

So as we can see already – even a lower percentage of a large number of cases results in a high number of hospitalisations.

To illustrate that, on 20 August, there were 312 people in hospital with COVID. Today, there are 1,064.

The number in intensive care has also increased – from 34 on 20 August to 89 today.

Of course, these figures do not include people who don’t need hospital care, but nevertheless suffer long COVID.

It is also important to remember that the pressure that the NHS is experiencing falls on staff who have in many cases been working flat-out since the start of this pandemic.

And it comes at a time when the NHS is working to catch up on a backlog and care for everyone who needs it, not just COVID patients.

The Government continues to work closely with health boards to help manage these pressures.

But – as has been the case throughout the pandemic – everyone has a role to play.

At the start of the pandemic, we constantly emphasised the need to “protect our NHS”.

That is still necessary, and should give all of us even more incentive to get vaccinated, test regularly, and take all the basic precautions that we know can slow down transmission.

An additional reason for continued caution is that it helps protect those most at risk.

The UK Government announced earlier today that it will no longer use its Shielding Patient List.

In light of that – and to avoid any mistaken assumption – it’s important for us to confirm that the Scottish Government is not following suit at this stage. We will continue to use our equivalent list – which is the Highest Risk List.

We have used this throughout the pandemic to communicate with all those at highest risk and ensure that they have advice and support.

We will continue to keep this under review, but for the moment we believe it is important to retain it.

I will now provide a brief update on some specific strands of work.

Firstly, I can confirm that Cabinet Secretaries are continuing to engage with representatives from business, the public sector and wider civic society to encourage maximum compliance with the mitigations still in place.

I will be taking part in a roundtable meeting with a range of stakeholders immediately after this statement to underline the importance of this work.

I am, again, grateful to all businesses and organisations for the efforts being made to follow and promote measures like the wearing of face coverings; good ventilation and hygiene; and wherever possible, continued home working.

In addition, as I mentioned earlier the university term is now starting – colleges began their return a few weeks ago. And we have been working closely with universities, colleges and the wider sector to make the return as safe as possible.

As a precaution at this stage, colleges and universities won’t be holding large in-person lectures for now.

Instead, there will be a mix of online and in-person learning – with institutions themselves deciding the level of in-person teaching that they will offer during this term.

In addition, physical distancing will remain in place on campuses and face coverings will be required in indoor public spaces.

We are also – of course – encouraging students to get tested regularly. Test kits are available on campuses, and students who are moving to term-time accommodation should book a PCR test before making that move.

Above all, we are strongly encouraging students to get vaccinated if they haven’t done so already.

Mobile vaccination units are being deployed in universities and colleges during freshers’ weeks, and vaccination will continue to be made available throughout the term.

Health Board web pages will contain details of local drop-in clinics and also clinics operating within colleges or universities.

We are also continuing to work with local authorities to make schools and childcare centres as safe as possible – for example, though support for the use of carbon dioxide monitors and improved ventilation.

We have also received further advice from the Advisory sub-group on Education, and I want to take the opportunity today to highlight two points arising from that advice.

First, we indicated at the start of term that secondary schools pupils would need to wear face coverings in class for the first six weeks of term, subject to a review at that point.

Given the continuing high levels of infection still being experienced at this stage, the Advisory sub-group has advised that this requirement should remain in place until the October holidays, and be reviewed again then.

I know how unpopular this is with many pupils and I completely understand why.

But for now, it remains a prudent and a necessary precaution.

Second, we intend to clarify an aspect of guidance on contact tracing in schools, to help ensure fuller understanding of the process.

There is no change in advice for close contacts thought to be at high risk of having COVID. They will continue to be advised to self-isolate until they have returned a negative PCR test. For children and young people, a high-risk contact is most likely to be a household member, or someone they have stayed overnight with.

However, we will clarify guidance on the letters that schools send to lower-risk contacts. These letters should be sent on a targeted basis to those who are most likely to have had low risk contact with someone who has tested positive. They ensure that parents, staff and pupils are aware of those cases – and the letters offer advice on issues like looking out for symptoms, and using lateral flow testing.

Our updated guidance may mean, for example, that it is appropriate to send letters to the classmates of a pupil who has tested positive, but not necessarily to everyone in their year group.

We hope that better targeting will help reinforce the importance of the messages in these letters while minimising undue anxiety.

In addition, the advice in the letters will be strengthened in one respect.

They will recommend – to primary and secondary school pupils and staff who receive them – that a lateral flow test is taken before they next return to school. That test should be in addition to the regular twice weekly lateral flow testing which is recommended for all secondary school pupils and staff.

Presiding Officer,

All of these measures reflect our commitment to prioritising the wellbeing of children and young people – and our determination to minimise disruption to education.

That consideration was also, of course, central to the advice that the Scottish, Welsh, and UK Governments – and the Northern Irish Executive – received yesterday from our Chief Medical Officers.

Members will recall that the JCVI had concluded that the benefit of vaccination – the health benefit – for 12-15 year olds did outweigh any risks, but that because this was marginal they could not recommend a universal offer of vaccine to this age group on health grounds alone.

However, they indicated that it would be appropriate for Chief Medical Officers to consider whether any wider issues might tip the balance in the other direction.

The CMOs have now done so and concluded that vaccination could reduce disruption to education and that, taken together with the health benefits previously identified in the JCVI advice, extending the offer of vaccination to all 12 to 15 year olds is justified.

Taking this broader view of the benefits and risks of vaccination, the CMOs are recommending that 12 to 15 year olds should be offered one dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

This advice has been broadly endorsed by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

I am very grateful to all of the four Chief Medical Officers for assessing the evidence on this issue with such pace and also with such rigour.

I can confirm to Parliament today that the Scottish Government welcomes and accepts this recommendation. We believe that vaccination of 12-15 year olds is important and we will therefore move to implement the advice as quickly as possible.

Our supplies of vaccine are adequate to allow us to do this.

It is, of course, important to stress how important informed consent is.

I know that many young people and their parents will have questions.

Material will be made available online later this week.

It will be appropriate to both young people and adults. It will seek to answer questions and provide balanced information to help young people and their parents make informed choices.

And I can confirm that from Monday 20 September, so Monday coming, drop in clinics will be open for any 12 – 15 year old who has read the information and – in discussion with parents and carers – decided that they do wish to be vaccinated.

It will of course be appropriate for parents or carers to accompany their children to clinics, and vaccinators will be on hand to answer any further questions or address any concerns.

And then, starting in the following week – so week beginning 27 September – letters will be sent to all 12 to 15 year olds inviting them to an appointment at a drop-in centre or vaccination clinic.

Again, parents and carers will be invited to accompany their children. And again the appointment will include an opportunity to ask questions and discuss concerns.

Finally, after the scheduled community sessions, there will be a programme of vaccination in schools, to ensure that anyone who hasn’t been vaccinated, and who decides that they want to be, gets a further opportunity.

Presiding Officer,

I know that these are important decisions for young people and their parents, and that many will have questions. I would encourage everyone to read the information that will be provided, and do not hesitate to visit a drop in clinic to ask any questions or raise any concerns.

Vaccination is a vital part of our overall protection against this virus. That is why it is important to support people – perhaps especially young people – to make informed choices that they feel comfortable with.

In addition to the CMO advice on 12-15 year olds, we have received this morning the final JCVI advice on a vaccine booster programme.

This is in addition to the third doses already being offered to people who were severely immunosuppressed or immunocompromised at the time of their first or second vaccination.

I can confirm that the Scottish Government is also accepting this advice, and again we have adequate supplies to move ahead with this.

The booster programme is intended to prolong the protection that vaccines provide against severe COVID illness.

It will run alongside our biggest ever flu vaccine programme – since, of course, both of these programmes are important for individual and for public health. Wherever possible, eligible people will be offered COVID and flu vaccines together.

Booster vaccines will be offered to all adults over 50; to frontline health and care workers; and to younger adults with certain health conditions that put them at higher risk; and to adult household contacts of people with suppressed immune systems. The JCVI has also advised that there should be an interval of at least six months between a second dose and a booster dose.

So let me now give a broad outline of the order in which we will now move to implement the booster programme. And of course we will set out more details shortly.

Frontline health and social care workers will be able to book their booster appointment online through NHS Inform from Monday 20 September – so that again is Monday coming.

Also from next week, residents in care homes for older people will be offered both flu and COVID booster vaccines.

Adults aged 70 or over, and everyone aged over 16 on the highest risk list will be contacted very shortly, either by letter or by their GP.

Other eligible groups – that’s all adults over 50, all those 16 to 49 with underlying health conditions, adult carers, unpaid and young carers, and adult household contacts of people who are immunosuppressed – will be able to book online from October.

These two announcements today, Presiding Officer, represent a very significant, and a very welcome, extension of the vaccine programme – and will help us considerably in our ongoing efforts against this virus.

So – to anyone eligible for vaccination – please do take up the opportunity.

The final point about vaccination I want to touch on very briefly is certification for certain venues – which, of course, Parliament approved in principle last week.

We are now working with businesses, events organisers and sports governing bodies to finalise the detail of the regulations and sector-specific guidance.

COVID certification has of course already been introduced in many countries across Europe. Indeed, many of them have already gone much further than we are proposing.

We know that this is not a magic wand – but we do believe that as part of a package of measures, it can help reduce transmission while keeping our economy and our society open, which is of course what all of us want to see.

Presiding Officer, I will close by emphasising again the key things all of us can do to help, and to ensure that we keep infections on a downward track.

Firstly, as I’ve already been talking extensively about – please get vaccinated if you are eligible and you haven’t yet done so.

Secondly, please continue to test yourself regularly with lateral flow devices. You can order these through NHS inform or collect them from a local test site or pharmacy.

And if you test positive, or you are identified as a close contact, or if you have symptoms of COVID, please self-isolate, and book a PCR test.

And thirdly and finally, please continue to comply with the mitigations still in place.

Please wear face coverings in indoor public places, such as shops, public transport and when moving about in hospitality settings.

Think carefully about the number of contacts you are having – and perhaps reduce any that are not strictly necessary.

Meet outdoors as much as possible.

Indoors, open windows if you can.

And, although it’s not the law anymore, try to keep a safe distance from people in other households – especially when you are indoors.

And remember to continue to wash your hands and surfaces thoroughly.

All of us this – as we can see in the most recent data – really does make a difference. So please stick with it and let’s get cases down even further.

Thank you, Presiding Officer.

Teaching union the EIS has welcomed the decision by the UK’s Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) that young people aged between 12 and 15 should be offered a COVID vaccination.

Infection rates have increased substantially in recent weeks, and we have seen record levels of both pupil and staff Covid related absences particularly amongst young people, as schools have returned. This is having a serious impact on education provision and has been a cause for concern for teachers and other school staff.

EIS General Secretary Larry Flanagan said, “The EIS welcomes this decision by the CMOs as the latest step in the battle against Coronavirus. Offering the vaccine to young people in the 12 to 15 age group will make secondary schools safer by reducing the risk of the virus spreading through school communities and will help reduce the level of disruption to education.

“Whilst we know that young people are less likely to become hospitalised through COVID, offering the vaccine will offer important additional protection against the virus.”

Mr Flanagan added, “In the few short weeks since our schools returned after the summer, we have already seen significant outbreaks in some school communities. This has led to an increase in enforced absences from school, with record numbers of students and staff forced to stay at home due to Coronavirus.

“Rolling out the availability of the vaccines to a wider group of young people will reduce the risk of further outbreaks linked to schools and help ensure that education provision can continue on as normal a basis as possible.”

School Safety Mitigations Extended

Safety mitigations to keep children, young people and staff safe in schools will be extended until at least the October holidays.

Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville confirmed that all current mitigations, including the use of face coverings by pupils in secondary school classrooms, will still be required to help keep schools as safe as possible.

In addition, updated guidance will be provided in the information letters that schools are asked to send to staff and the parents of primary and secondary pupils when they are in low risk contact with positive cases in schools.

These will now include a strengthened recommendation to take a lateral flow test before returning to school. This is in addition to current advice for staff and secondary pupils to take a lateral flow test twice a week, with a few days apart, and record the result before returning to the classroom.

There will be a continued requirement for staff to keep at least a metre distance from each other and from children and young people when they are at schools.

Revised guidance to reflect these changes will be published as soon as possible.

Ms Somerville said: “Throughout this coronavirus pandemic, the safety of school pupils and staff has been my top priority. Every decision is underpinned by our determination to keep children and young people in schools when is safe to do so. 

“In light of the latest data and evidence, we have decided to extend the period for these mitigations to remain in place. This decision has been informed by expert medical advice and will be kept under close review to ensure it remains appropriate.

“We owe a debt of gratitude to our young people, for their continued compliance with the public health measures that keep us all safe. I promise that if we can remove the restrictions sooner, we will. For the moment though, we consider this an important protection for them, and for others in the school.”

Young people aged 12 to 15 to be offered a COVID-19 vaccine

  • Move follows unanimous advice to ministers from the four UK Chief Medical Officers
  • Parental consent will be sought prior to vaccination

People aged 12 to 15 in England will be offered one dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, following advice from the four UK Chief Medical Officers (CMOs), the Health and Social Care Secretary has announced. The Scottish Government is expected to make an announcement later today.

In line with the recommendation of the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the government sought the views of the four UK CMOs on the wider issues that are relevant to the health of children.

The UK Government has accepted the advice of the four UK CMOs and the NHS is preparing to deliver a schools-based vaccination programme, which is the successful model used for vaccinations including for HPV and Diphtheria, Tetanus and Polio (DTP), supported by GPs and community pharmacies. Invitations for vaccination will begin next week.

Parental, guardian or carer consent will be sought by vaccination healthcare staff prior to vaccination in line with existing school vaccination programmes.

Healthy school-aged children aged 12 to 15 will primarily receive their COVID-19 vaccination in their school with alternative provision for those who are home schooled, in secure services or specialist mental health settings.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid said: “I have accepted the recommendation from the Chief Medical Officers to expand vaccination to those aged 12 to 15 – protecting young people from catching COVID-19, reducing transmission in schools and keeping pupils in the classroom.

“I am very grateful for the expert advice I have received from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and UK Chief Medical Officers.

“Our outstanding NHS stands ready to move forward with rolling out the vaccine to this group with the same sense of urgency we’ve had at every point in our vaccination programme.”

THE CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICERS’ LETTER READS:

To: Sajid Javid MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, HM Government Eluned Morgan AS/MS, Minister for Health and Social Services, Welsh Government Humza Yousaf MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Scottish Government Robin Swann MLA, Minister of Health Northern Ireland Executive

13 September 2021

Dear Secretary of State, Cabinet Secretary and ministers,

Universal vaccination of children and young people aged 12 to 15 years against COVID-19

Background

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) in their advice to you on 2 September 2021 on this subject said: ‘Overall, the committee is of the opinion that the benefits from vaccination are marginally greater than the potential known harms… but acknowledges that there is considerable uncertainty regarding the magnitude of the potential harms.

The margin of benefit, based primarily on a health perspective, is considered too small to support advice on a universal programme of vaccination of otherwise healthy 12 to 15-year-old children at this time…. JCVI is constituted with expertise to allow consideration of the health benefits and risks of vaccination and it is not within its remit to incorporate in-depth considerations on wider societal impacts, including educational benefits. The government may wish to seek further views on the wider societal and educational impacts from the Chief Medical Officers of the 4 nations, with representation from JCVI in these subsequent discussions.‘

Their full advice to you is appended in JCVI statement, September 2021: COVID-19 vaccination of children aged 12 to 15 years.

You accepted this recommendation from JCVI, and wrote to us on 2 September 2021 stating “We agree with the approach suggested by JCVI, and so we are writing to request that you take forward work (drawing on experts as you see fit) to consider the matter from a broader perspective, as suggested by the JCVI.”

The terms of reference (ToR) of this request, which the UK CMOs agreed, can be found in Terms of reference for UK CMO advice on universal vaccination of children and young people aged 12 to 15 years against COVID-19

In doing so we have been fortunate to have been informed by the independent expertise of leaders of the clinical and public health profession from across the UK. This has included Presidents and Chairs or their representative of:

  • Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
  • Royal College of General Practice
  • Royal College of Psychiatry
  • Faculty of Public Health
  • Academy of Medical Royal Colleges representing all the other Royal Colleges and Faculties
  • Association of Directors of Public Health
  • Regional Directors of Public Health
  • national public health specialists
  • experts in data and modelling

We are very grateful to them for taking considerable time and effort to consult their own colleagues in all 4 nations at short notice to get a comprehensive view of the balance of informed medical opinion and experience across the UK.

In addition, we have examined data from the Office for National Statistics as well as published data on the impact of COVID-19 on education, and other relevant published sources. We attach key published inputs in Key published inputs to the UK CMOs advice on universal vaccination of children and young people aged 12 to 15 years against COVID-19.

The UK’s independent regulator of medicines and vaccines the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is in law the appropriate body to determine whether, based on risk-benefit grounds, a vaccine is safe and effective to use and so grant a licence. They have done so for children and young people aged over 12 years for two vaccines against COVID-19, those manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna. Their assessment is that benefits exceed risks on an individual basis. We take their independent opinion as read. The MHRA position on mRNA vaccines is similar to the relevant regulatory approvals granted in the same age groups in multiple other jurisdictions including but not limited to the USA, the European Union, and Canada.

The independent JCVI is the proper body to give advice on how to deploy a vaccine which has a prior favourable risk-benefit decision and authorisation from MHRA including whether it has a sufficiently large benefit to be worth deploying on a larger, population scale. Like MHRA they consider the benefits of vaccination in this age group exceed the risks (i.e. it is better to be vaccinated than not vaccinated in this age group).

They balanced the risk of COVID-19 against the risks of vaccination, including myocarditis. When forming its advice, the JCVI considered vaccine use according to clinical risk groups, thus identifying different groups according to their potential to benefit from vaccination.

For 12 to 15 year olds who do not have underlying health conditions that place them at higher risk from severe COVID-19, the JCVI considered that the size of both the risk and the benefit are at an individual level very small, and the overall advantage for vaccination, whilst present, is therefore not sufficiently large to recommend universal vaccination on their usual criteria.

They deemed the extent to which vaccination might mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on education was beyond the usual remit of the JCVI. They recognised however that given the substantial scale of the impact of COVID-19 on all children and young people, which goes beyond normal clinical benefit and risk, wider issues could, exceptionally, be relevant hence their suggestion to consult UK CMOs.

The JCVI have already recommended that children and young people aged 12 to 17 with specific underlying health conditions, and children and young people who are aged 12 years and over who are household contacts of persons who are immunocompromised are offered two doses of a vaccine, normally Pfizer BioNTech BNT162b2. They have recommended all young people 16 to 17 are offered an initial first dose of vaccine.

The UK has benefited from having data from the USA, Canada and Israel, which have already offered vaccines universally to children and young people aged 12 to 15.

The UK CMOs start from the position that the MHRA and JCVI set out on individual benefit-risk calculations for this age group, and have not revisited this. We accept that at an individual level benefit exceeds risk but this advantage is small, and we have taken the JCVI figures as the UK current position on this question.

The Chair of the JCVI Prof. Lim has been a member of our group to ensure that there is no duplication of effort or conflict between the views of UK CMOs and the JCVI. We have been fortunate to have been joined also by the lead Deputy Chief Medical Officers for vaccines Prof. Van Tam (England), Prof. Steedman (Scotland) and Dr. Chada (Northern Ireland) and the DHSC Chief Scientific Adviser, Prof. Chappell. The final advice is that of the Chief Medical Officers, but informed by independent senior clinical and public health input from across the UK.

UK CMOs have decided in their ToR that we will only consider benefits and disbenefits to those aged 12 to 15 from vaccinating this age group, including indirect benefits. Whilst there may be benefits to other age groups, these have not been considered in our advice below.

Issues of vaccine supply were not factors considered in decision making.

The UK CMOs are aware of the extensive range of non-clinical views but this UK CMOs advice is purely clinical and public health derived and has not taken issues outside their clinical and public health remit into account. There is a subsequent political process where wider societal issues may be considered by ministers in deciding how they respond to this advice.

Advice

All drugs, vaccines and surgical procedures have both risks and benefits. If the risks exceed benefits the drug, vaccine or procedure should not be advised, and a drug or vaccine will not be authorised by MHRA. If benefits exceed risks then medical practitioners may advise the drug or vaccine, but the strength of their advice will depend on the degree of benefit over risk.

At an individual level, the view of the MHRA, the JCVI and international regulators is that there is an advantage to someone aged 12 to 15 of being vaccinated over being unvaccinated. The COVID-19 Delta variant is highly infectious and very common, so the great majority of the unvaccinated will get COVID-19. In those aged 12 to 15, COVID-19 rarely, but occasionally, leads to serious illness, hospitalisation and even less commonly death. The risks of vaccination (mainly myocarditis) are also very rare. The absolute advantage to being vaccinated in this age group is therefore small (‘marginal’) in the view of the JCVI. On its own the view of the JCVI is that this advantage, whilst present, is insufficient to justify a universal offer in this age group. Accepting this advice, UK CMOs looked at wider public health benefits and risks of universal vaccination in this age group to determine if this shifts the risk-benefit either way.

Of these, the most important in this age group was impact on education. UK CMOs also considered impact on mental health and operational issues such as any possible negative impact on other vaccine programmes, noting that influenza vaccination and other immunisations of children and young people are well-established, important, and that the annual flu vaccine deployment programme commences imminently.

The UK CMOs, in common with the clinical and wider public health community, consider education one of the most important drivers of improved public health and mental health, and have laid this out in their advice to parents and teachers in a previous joint statement. Evidence from clinical and public health colleagues, general practice, child health and mental health consistently makes clear the massive impact that absent, or disrupted, face-to-face education has had on the welfare and mental health of many children and young people. This is despite remarkable efforts by parents and teachers to maintain education in the face of disruption.

The negative impact has been especially great in areas of relative deprivation which have been particularly badly affected by COVID-19. The effects of missed or disrupted education are even more apparent and enduring in these areas. The effects of disrupted education, or uncertainty, on mental health are well recognised. There can be lifelong effects on health if extended disruption to education leads to reduced life chances.

Whilst full closures of schools due to lockdowns is much less likely to be necessary in the next stages of the COVID-19 epidemic, UK CMOs expect the epidemic to continue to be prolonged and unpredictable. Local surges of infection, including in schools, should be anticipated for some time. Where they occur, they are likely to be disruptive.

Every effort should be taken to minimise school disruption in policy decisions and local actions. Vaccination, if deployed, should only be seen as an adjunct to other actions to maintain children and young people in secondary school and minimise further education disruption and therefore medium and longer term public health harm.

On balance however, UK CMOs judge that it is likely vaccination will help reduce transmission of COVID-19 in schools which are attended by children and young people aged 12 to 15 years. COVID-19 is a disease which can be very effectively transmitted by mass spreading events, especially with Delta variant. Having a significant proportion of pupils vaccinated is likely to reduce the probability of such events which are likely to cause local outbreaks in, or associated with, schools. They will also reduce the chance an individual child gets COVID-19. This means vaccination is likely to reduce (but not eliminate) education disruption.

Set against this there are operational risks that COVID-19 vaccination could interfere with other, important, vaccination programmes in schools including flu vaccines.

Overall however the view of the UK CMOs is that the additional likely benefits of reducing educational disruption, and the consequent reduction in public health harm from educational disruption, on balance provide sufficient extra advantage in addition to the marginal advantage at an individual level identified by the JCVI to recommend in favour of vaccinating this group.

They therefore recommend on public health grounds that ministers extend the offer of universal vaccination with a first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to all children and young people aged 12 to 15 not already covered by existing JCVI advice.

If ministers accept this advice, UK CMOs would want the JCVI to give a view on whether, and what, second doses to give to children and young people aged 12 to 15 once more data on second doses in this age group has accrued internationally. This will not be before the spring term.

In recommending this to ministers, UK CMOs recognise that the overwhelming benefits of vaccination for adults, where risk-benefit is very strongly in favour of vaccination for almost all groups, are not as clear-cut for children and young people aged 12 to 15. Children, young people and their parents will need to understand potential benefits, potential side effects and the balance between them.

If ministers accept this advice, issues of consent need to take this much more balanced risk-benefit into account. UK CMOs recommend that the Royal Colleges and other professional groups are consulted in how best to present the risk-benefit decisions in a way that is accessible to children and young people as well as their parents. A child-centred approach to communication and deployment of the vaccine should be the primary objective.

If ministers accept this advice, it is essential that children and young people aged 12 to 15 and their parents are supported in their decisions, whatever decisions they take, and are not stigmatised either for accepting, or not accepting, the vaccination offer. Individual choice should be respected.

Chief Medical Officer for England Prof. Christopher Whitty

Chief Medical Officer for Northern Ireland Sir Michael McBride

Chief Medical Officer for Scotland Dr. Gregor Smith

Chief Medical Officer for Wales Dr. Frank Atherton

Over four in five adults across the UK have received both COVID-19 vaccine doses, with over half of all 16 and 17 year olds coming forward for their first jab.

However COVID numbers continue to rise across the UK. 28,856 new cases were reported yesterday, with 4241 of these in Scotland. The daily Scottish figure is likely to be considerably higher due to an IT problem.

Responding to the advice from the Chief Medical Officers regarding the vaccination of all 12-15 year olds, Bruce Adamson, the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland, said:  “We welcome the advice to offer the vaccine to children between the age of 12 and 15. It is important to give them that choice.  

“Children and young people have a right to the best possible health, that’s not just about protection from the Covid virus itself, but also the impact on their mental health due to isolation and other factors. The pandemic has impacted their right to education, their right to play, their right to see wider family and friends which is so essential to their development. Their education has been disrupted with two long periods of school closures. 

“It is important that children are supported to make informed decisions about their own health. Children of this age group have told me over the last few months that they are in favour of having the choice to be vaccinated. That is not to say that all of them had made a decision about whether they would get a vaccine, but they wanted the option to be available to them. Of course, there have been some children who are concerned about vaccination, or who told me about parental concerns. It is important that there is no stigma attached to the choices that children make about vaccination. 

“It is essential that this advice is communicated directly to 12 to 15 year olds in a child-friendly way so they can understand why they are now being offered the vaccine, and can have any questions they might have answered in a way they can understand. Children have the right to access appropriate information on decisions affecting them.  

“Parents and carers will play an important role in supporting the decision-making around whether a child chooses to get vaccinated so it is important that they have all of the necessary information to support that choice.” 

Prime Minister to set out next steps in Covid response

Boris Johnson will set out the UK Government’s autumn and winter plan for managing Covid this week

  • Government focus to remain on vaccines as the first line of defence over the autumn and winter months
  • JCVI final ‘booster’ decision expected this week
  • Measures from the Coronavirus Act expected to be repealed

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will this week set out the UK Government’s autumn and winter plan for managing Covid.

Vaccines will continue to be our first line of defence over the autumn and winter months supported by new treatments, testing, and a world leading variant surveillance system.

Due to the efforts and sacrifices of the public, our NHS, and the phenomenal success of the vaccine rollout, the vast majority of restrictions were lifted in England at Step 4 of the Roadmap on 19 July.

As of 9 September, nearly 90% of the UK population aged over 16 have received a first dose of the Covid vaccine, and over 80% have received both doses.

The latest data from Public Health England shows Covid vaccines are highly effective against hospitalisation from the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant, the dominant strain in the UK. Analysis shows the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is 96% effective and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is 92% effective against hospitalisation after two doses.

The winter months will bring renewed challenges. Covid will circulate alongside flu and other respiratory viruses and the threat of a new variant remains. It is difficult to predict with certainty how these will interact and what pressure they may place on the NHS.

The independent expert committee – the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisation (JCVI) – were asked to consider a Covid vaccine booster programme. Their interim advice suggested planning for booster vaccines to be rolled out to the most vulnerable from September 2021, to offer an increased level of protection over winter.

The government expects to receive confirmation this week from the JCVI on the details of a vaccination booster programme, with plans in place to begin this month. This will boost immunity over the winter months, protecting against serious disease and death and unsustainable pressure on the NHS.

The government confirmed last week that those who are immunocompromised will be offered a third primary dose. This is separate to the booster programme, as those who require a third primary dose had insufficient protection from two doses.

The Prime Minister is also expected to repeal powers in England that are no longer necessary from the Coronavirus Act, as part of the government’s plan for managing Covid over the autumn and winter.

These include:

  • Powers to close-down sectors of the economy, such as business premises, or apply restrictions to events and gatherings.
  • Powers that disrupt education, enabling temporary closure or restricting access to schools, colleges, and childcare.
  • Powers that extend time limits for urgent warrants. Powers to detain infectious people.

Vital powers from the Act will be retained that are critical to protect and support the public. This includes giving sick pay to those isolating from day one rather than day seven, directing schools to remain open if they close against government guidance, and helping the NHS to get the emergency resource it needs.

Legal requirements will remain for someone to isolate if they test positive, to protect the most vulnerable from infection and to control the spread of variants. The Coronavirus Act is separate from the Public Health Act.

The Prime Minister is expected to hold a press conference this week – perhaps as early as tomorrow – to set out the next steps in the pandemic response.

Prime Minister, Boris Johnson said: “Thanks to the efforts of the public, the NHS and our phenomenal vaccination programme, we reached Step 4 in our Roadmap and life has returned to a sense of normality.

“These extraordinary times required necessary but intrusive measures. But I’m determined to get of rid of any powers we no longer need because of our vaccine defences.

“I will set out the next phase in our Covid response shortly.”

PM Boris Johnson is pictured during a Downing Street homecoming reception for the GB Paralympic team.

Three new mobile vaccination buses target Scotland’s students

The Scottish Ambulance Service has launched three new mobile vaccination buses to cover the whole of Scotland – with a bus dedicated to the east, west and north of the country.

Over the last seven months, the Service has been working in partnership with health boards and local authorities to support the delivery of the national vaccination programme. With the launch of the new buses, one of the key priorities will be to ensure that students are able to access vaccines.

There will be further clinics at the University of the West of Scotland, Paisley, Glasgow Caledonian University and Glasgow University, where it will be parked up at different locations including Murano Street.

The east bus will be at locations in the Scottish Borders, including at Borders College in September, while the north bus will be working with secondary schools across the Highlands.

Pauline Howie, Chief Executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service, said: “Our fantastic staff and our close working with Scottish Government, Health Boards and local authorities across Scotland has meant we can reach into communities via our mobile vaccination bus to ensure everyone has the chance to be vaccinated.

“With university students set to arrive on campuses across the country, we want to ensure they are protected, so over the coming months our vaccination buses will be located at universities and campuses to ensure every student can protect themselves, and others, from Covid-19.”

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “These new vaccine buses, along with those being run by some NHS boards, makes it even easier for students to get vaccinated. As well as going round schools in the Highlands, they will also visit university and college campuses around Scotland Earlier this year we announced the international students will also be included in our national programme.

“The increase in case numbers in recent weeks means it remains vital everyone who is offered a vaccine takes up the invitation. The vaccine buses has been an excellent addition to our national vaccination programme and I want to say a huge thank you to everyone involved for their hard work.”

Gillian Plunkett, Director for Student Experience at City of Glasgow College, said: “Throughout this global pandemic the health and welfare of our students has been our top priority. We are delighted to welcome the NHS Mobile Vaccination Unit. It offers immediate access for students and staff who have still to receive their first vaccine, or their second dose.  

“While we continue with our hybrid learning and teaching approach this new academic year, we are encouraging our students to take up the vaccine which is strongly recommended by the NHS as providing the best protection against the effects of Covid-19.”  

The mobile vaccination buses will also be helping communities across Scotland, so that everyone can receive the appropriate Covid 19 vaccines for their age group. New funding has been provided by the Scottish Government for the buses, in order to improve accessibility to vaccine clinics across the country.

Second doses offered to all eligible adults in Scotland

Missed appointments can be rearranged

Scotland’s largest ever vaccination programme will complete second doses for all over 18s who have attended their scheduled appointments by close of play on Sunday 12 September.

Some of those eligible have rearranged their appointment for health or work reasons and will get their second dose shortly. Vaccination Clinics will remain open and anyone who has not yet received their vaccination, for whatever reason is reminded that it is never too late to get vaccinated and is urged to go to a local drop-in clinic or go to NHS Inform to book a convenient appointment.

The second dose of the vaccine offers greater and longer lasting protection and can be given from eight weeks after the first, either at a drop-in clinic or by requesting an appointment through the NHS Inform website.

Evidence shows that after two doses the vaccines are more than 90% effective against hospital admissions from the effects of the virus.

Students from the UK and abroad are included in the national programme and are encouraged to come forward for vaccination regardless of whether they require their first, second or both doses.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “Today is a significant day because every single adult in Scotland has now been given the opportunity to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

“I want to pass on my thanks to all those who have helped make this possible – from the scientists who developed the vaccine, to the hard-working staff delivering the programme on the ground. I also want to thank everyone who has taken up their offer of a vaccine, and rolled up their sleeves to help tackle coronavirus.

“To all those who haven’t yet had their second doses, please don’t leave the job half done.  Even if the time since the first dose is more than eight weeks, people can still be vaccinated and I encourage them to come forward.

“We have made getting a vaccination easier than ever – head to one of the drop-in clinics being offered across the country or, if you prefer, book an appointment online at NHS Inform. Please check your NHS board’s social media posts for the latest information on where you can attend.

“Students heading to university or college from anywhere in the UK or abroad are reminded they too are urged to take up this offer if it’s relevant to them – indeed, in addition to drop-in clinics around the country, mobile vaccination units are visiting several further education campuses.

“Recent increases in case numbers mean it remains crucial everyone who is offered a vaccination takes up the invitation.”

Rearrange a vaccination appointment

Information on drop-in clinics  

Alex Cole-Hamilton: Lib-Dems say NO to ‘COVID ID cards’

“Vaccinations are undoubtedly the route out of this. But vaccine passports are not.”

Scottish Liberal Democrats leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has spoken out against Scottish Government proposals to introduce a vaccine certificate in Scotland.

The Edinburgh Western MSP said: “Next week the Scottish Parliament will vote on SNP/Green proposals to introduce vaccine certification in Scotland.

“For the first time, Scottish People will have to share private medical data with strangers in order to access venues and services. 

“These are COVID ID cards in all but name and the Scottish Liberal Democrats are leading the opposition to their introduction.

“Our hospitality and events businesses see COVID ID cards as a threat to their recovery.

“COVID ID cards will not stop the spread of the virus, reduce case numbers or make up for the week-long delays in contact tracing. There are no time limits on their use and the door will be left open to expand their use in the future. 

“Vaccines are our way out of the pandemic and I urge everyone who can receive a vaccine to get one. But COVID ID cards are illiberal and dangerous precedent and are not part of the answer.”

Teen vaccinations: Health Chiefs, it’s over to you …

JVCI advises politicians to seek further advice from CMOs

The four Chief Medical Officers will provide further advice on the COVID-19 vaccination of young people aged 12 to 15 with COVID-19 vaccines following the advice of the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

The independent medicines regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), has approved the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for people aged 12 and over after they met strict standards of safety and effectiveness.

The JCVI has advised that the health benefits from vaccination are marginally greater than the potential known harms. It has advised the government to seek further input from the Chief Medical Officers on the wider impacts.

This includes the impact on schools and young people’s education, which has been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

UK health ministers from across the four nations have today written to the Chief Medical Officers to request they begin the process of assessing the broader impact of universal COVID-19 vaccination in this age group.

They will now convene experts and senior leaders in clinical and public health to consider the issue. They will then present their advice to ministers on whether a universal programme should be taken forward.

People aged 12 to 15 who are clinically vulnerable to COVID-19 or who live with adults who are at increased risk of serious illness from the virus are already eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine and are being contacted by the NHS, to be invited to come forward.

The JCVI has advised that this offer should be expanded to include more children aged 12 to 15, for example those with sickle cell disease or type 1 diabetes.

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: “Our COVID-19 vaccines have brought a wide range of benefits to the country, from saving lives and preventing hospitalisations, to helping stop infections and allowing children to return to school.

“I am grateful for the expert advice that I have received from the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

“People aged 12 to 15 who are clinically vulnerable to the virus have already been offered a COVID-19 vaccine, and today we’ll be expanding the offer to those with conditions such as sickle cell disease or type 1 diabetes to protect even more vulnerable children.

“Along with Health Ministers across the four nations, I have today written to the Chief Medical Officers to ask that they consider the vaccination of 12 to 15 year olds from a broader perspective, as suggested by the JCVI.

“We will then consider the advice from the Chief Medical Officers, building on the advice from the JCVI, before making a decision shortly.”

Scottish Health Minister Humza Yousaf said: “I want to thank the JCVI for today’s advice regarding vaccination for 12 -15 year olds.

“While the JCVI has agreed that the benefits marginally outweigh the risks they are not yet prepared to recommend universal vaccination of 12-15 year olds, however, they have suggested that Health Ministers may wish to ask their respective CMOs to explore the issue further, taking into consideration broader educational and societal impacts.

“Therefore, I have agreed with the other three UK Health Ministers to write a letter asking the four Chief Medical Officers to consider this latest guidance and explore whether there is additional evidence to suggest it would be beneficial to offer vaccination to all 12 – 15 year olds. We have asked for this further work to be conducted as soon as possible.

“A further update will be issued once these discussions have taken place. In the meantime, we will offer the vaccine to those children and young people currently recommended.

“The recent increase in cases of COVID-19 means it remains crucial that everyone who is offered a vaccination takes up the offer.”

JCVI issues advice on third dose vaccination for severely immunosuppressed

The JCVI is advising that people with severely weakened immune systems should have a third vaccine dose as part of their primary COVID-19 vaccination schedule

This third dose should be offered to people over 12 who were severely immunosuppressed at the time of their first or second dose, including those with leukaemia, advanced HIV and recent organ transplants.

These people may not mount a full response to vaccination and therefore may be less protected than the wider population.

This offer is separate to any potential booster programme. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is still deliberating the potential benefits of booster vaccines for the rest of the population and is awaiting further evidence to inform this decision.

Immunosuppression varies widely in severity and duration. Many people who are immunosuppressed have lower levels of antibodies after coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination, as some studies have shown.

Preliminary data from the OCTAVE trial showed that almost everyone who was immunosuppressed mounted an immune response after 2 doses, as indicated by either antibodies or T cells. However, in around 40% of people, the levels of antibodies were low. It is not clear how much this may affect protection against COVID-19 as antibodies represent only part of a person’s immune response.

People with severe immunosuppression are more likely to be severely ill if they do catch COVID-19.

Studies are ongoing to see how effective a third dose is for immunosuppressed people, but it is very unlikely to cause any harm. Therefore, on balance, the JCVI’s view is that a third dose can be safely offered as it may increase their protection.

Professor Wei Shen Lim, Chair of COVID-19 Immunisation for the JCVI, said: “We want people with severely suppressed immune systems to have the best chance of gaining protection from COVID-19 via vaccination.

“Therefore, we are advising they have a third vaccine dose on top of their initial 2 doses, as we hope this will reduce their risk of severe outcomes such as hospitalisation and death.

The JCVI advises that for adults aged 18 and older, either the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines be administered for the third dose, as a number of studies have reported an increased immune response in some immunosuppressed people after a third dose of an mRNA vaccine.

For those aged 12 to 17, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is preferred.

The decision on the timing of the third dose should be made by their specialist. As a general guide, the third dose should usually be at least 8 weeks after the second dose but with flexibility to adjust the timing so that, where possible, immunosuppression is at a minimum when the vaccine dose is given.

This will enable a better immune response to be generated. For example, it is preferable to give a vaccine dose before someone undergoes chemotherapy, rather than during their treatment.

Those with less serious immunosuppression are not included in this advice but are likely to become eligible for another dose as part of a potential booster programme, pending further advice from the JCVI.

In the event of a booster programme, it is expected that severely immunosuppressed people will also be offered a booster dose, at a suitable interval after their third dose.

A third primary dose is an extra ‘top-up’ dose for those who may not have generated a full immune response to the first 2 doses. In contrast, a booster dose is a later dose to extend the duration of protection from the primary course of vaccinations.

The UK Government accepts JCVI’s advice to offer a third COVID-19 vaccine to people with severely weakened immune systems:

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: “Today I have accepted the expert recommendations from the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to offer a third vaccine dose to people aged 12 and over with severely weakened immune systems as part of their primary schedule following data from trials of those who are immunosuppressed.

We know people with specific conditions that make them particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 may have received less protection against the virus from two vaccine doses. I am determined to ensure we are doing all we can to protect people in this group and a third dose will help deliver that.

The NHS will contact people as soon as possible to discuss their needs and arrange an appointment for a third dose where clinically appropriate.

This is not the start of the booster programme – we are continuing to plan for this to begin in September to ensure the protection people have built from vaccines is maintained over time and ahead of the winter. We will prioritise those most at risk to COVID-19, including those who are eligible for a third primary vaccine, for boosters based on the final advice of the JCVI.

COVID-19 vaccines have saved more than 105,000 lives and prevented 24 million infections in England alone. They are building a wall of defence and are the best way to protect people from serious illness. I encourage everybody who is eligible to get their jabs as soon as they can.

Professor Jonathan Van Tam, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, said: “We know there are people with severe immunosuppression for whom the first two doses of vaccine have not provided the same level protection as for the general population. The degree of protection will vary by individual, according to degree of immunosuppression and the underlying reasons for that.

So I welcome the advice from JCVI to offer a third primary dose to those with severe immunosuppression, at a bespoke interval, advised by their specialist clinician, and guided by the UK’s immunisation handbook, the Green Book.

We should be doing all we reasonably can to ensure that this group is not disadvantaged and a third primary dose is one step in this direction. We are also working hard to ensure there are other medical interventions that can be used in these groups, including specific treatments like antivirals and monoclonal antibodies.

A JCVI decision on whether young teenagers should be vaccinated is expected ‘within days’.

New clinics introduced to provide COVID jabs for newly arrived asylum seekers

A vaccination clinic has been set up in Glasgow to provide COVID vaccinations for newly arrived asylum seekers.

The clinic, which welcomed the first vaccination patients to its base in Govan last Friday, is part of the Asylum Health Bridging Team which provides a range of health services to some of Scotland’s most vulnerable communities.

Craig Davidson, a senior nurse within the team, helped to administer the first vaccines at the clinic. He said: “People have been really positive about getting access to the vaccine – to protect them and the wider community. We want to make sure that asylum seekers get the same access to health care and the COVID vaccine as the rest of the population.”

The clinic is targeting asylum seekers who have recently arrived in Glasgow, in the four to six week window where the team can offer assistance before patients’ asylum journey progresses. An initial health assessment can take up to 90 minutes, looking at physical illnesses and conditions and to provide mental health and trauma support.

The team also support people who may have been victims of trafficking and women who may have been subject to abuse or FGM. After the initial assessment is over, patients are invited back to the clinic for the COVID vaccination, with accommodation provider Mears, arranging transport.

Craig added: “It’s about building trust. We support them through the traumatic experience they have been through and at least 95% have been through a traumatic journey just to get to the UK.”

The clinic was the brainchild of Stewart Curtis, team leader at the service. While asylum seekers already established in accommodation were targeted as part of earlier COVID vaccination outreach programmes, or able to access their jab through community clinics, Stewart recognised that not everyone could do the same.

Stewart said: “The people we are seeing don’t know the community, they don’t know where to go. I wouldn’t even try to imagine what some of our service users have left behind and what some of them have gone through just to get here.

“We’re the first point of NHS contact for them. We are that friendly face and space, somewhere they feel comfortable and we can have the vaccination clinic here, where people know us and feel they are in a safe and supportive environment.”

Stewart said his team have welcomed the opportunity to add the vaccine to the range of support services on offer.

He added: “I know the positive impact my staff are having on each individual’s life that comes through the door – that makes me really proud.”

Craig has also seen the benefits. He said: “I began my nursing career in May 2020, in the middle of the pandemic. I used to work in a ward treating patients who had COVID and dealing with a high level of death and trauma was, for me, really hard.

“It’s great to see this side with people who are so pleased to get the vaccine in the knowledge that it will protect them and the wider community.”

Remaining under 40s urged to get their second vaccine dose

“No one should consider themselves invincible to COVID-19.”

People aged under 40 who have still to receive their second dose of the vaccine are being urged to book an appointment or go to a drop-in clinic and maximise the protection offered.

The number of cases is rising and around two thirds of new cases are in under 40s. Over the past month, 30% of COVID-19 related hospital admissions were in those aged under 40, and the majority of hospital admissions amongst unvaccinated individuals were in the under 40s age group (58%).

The second dose of the vaccine offers greater and longer lasting protection and can be given from eight weeks after the first, either at a drop-in clinic or by requesting an appointment through the NHS Inform website. Evidence shows that after two doses the vaccines are more than 90% effective against hospital admissions from the effects of the virus. Even if the time since the first dose is more than eight weeks, people can still be vaccinated and are encouraged to come forward.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “More than eighty per cent of the population have now received both doses and I really want to say thanks to all of them and of course, everyone involved in the delivery of our national programme.

“Scotland’s vaccination programme has been one of the fastest in the world, but it’s clear there are some people – particularly aged under 40 – who have been offered a second appointment and, for whatever reason, have not yet attended. Our message to you is clear. It’s not too late to get your vaccine and it remains vital that you get both doses in order to give maximum protection against this virus. Please don’t leave the job half done.

“We are working to make it as simple as possible for people to get their vaccines, and have increased the options available for how and when people choose to be vaccinated, such as drop-in and open-access clinics.

“While we are in the process of emerging from the pandemic, high case rates at the moment underline the fact that this virus is still a significant threat and the importance of getting vaccinated cannot be underestimated.”

Ian Scott, Clinical lead for Respiratory (Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) ECMO service Scotland based in Aberdeen Royal infirmary said: “Over the last few weeks we have been seeing increased numbers of referrals to intensive care in the under 40s with COVID-19. In the UK, the average age of patients with COVID-19 requiring ECMO support is currently under forty.  

“The stark fact is, none of these patients have been double vaccinated and most do not have underlying health conditions.  

“Normally at this time of year we would have no patients requiring this level of respiratory support.  The survival rate of patients with severe COVID-19 is worse than viral pneumonia.   The risks with requiring ventilation and ECMO are extremely high and we feel that some of these deaths could be avoided.” 

NHS Grampian ECMO Lead Nurse Lucy Fleming said: “I am under 40.  To see increasing numbers of young and otherwise healthy people of my own age requiring this level of intensive care is heart-breaking. 

“There is no doubt that as cases rise, it is crucial that everyone who is eligible takes up their invitation for a vaccination and gets both doses. 

“No one should consider themselves invincible to COVID-19.”  

5,858 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Scotland yesterday (28th August).