Scotland confirms Covid boosters for over-40s

People aged between 40 and 49 will be offered Covid booster vaccinations, the Scottish government has confirmed.

It was also announced that those aged 16 and 17, who were initially given only a single dose, will be now be offered a second jab.

The move follows new advice from the UK government's vaccine experts.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf welcomed the advice and said his job was to see how quickly it could be put into operation.

Scotland's chief medical officer Dr Gregor Smith said the booster vaccinations for over-40s would be offered once the earlier priority groups had been given theirs.

He said the 40 to 49-year-old group would soon be able to book their own appointments through the NHS online portal - which is now live for 50 to 59-year-olds.

The chief medical officer said the Scottish government was "considering how best to implement" the new advice on 16 and 17-year-olds and would confirm the timetable shortly.

• Over 50s invited to book booster and flu jabs

Scottish Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane called on the government to make sure as many jabs as possible were delivered before Christmas.

"The booster jag rollout could be going much faster if we had mass clinics operating again to complement the current local delivery method," he said.

Many of us have heard of people having issues getting their booster jab, but this is a huge operation that combines the flu programme with Covid third doses, as well as trying to reach people who may still not have any vaccine protection.

In all, it is going well. 79% of over 80s have had a booster and 83% of those aged 70 - 79. But it will take time to work through the other groups.

Over 50s can now book an appointment, but for many in this category, it will be well into December or even the New Year before they reach six months since their second dose, and then become eligible for a booster. It will be same for those in the 40s group.

Scottish Labour said the Scottish government must accelerate the booster roll-out as a matter of urgency,

The party's health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said: "If we are to avoid serious consequences this winter then the SNP government must be willing to take meaningful action now."

The new JCVI (Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation) advice came on the day that an NHS online portal opened to allow people aged 50 to 59 to book their own appointments for booster jabs.

Older age groups, front-line medical staff and people with health conditions that put them at greater risk have already been able to access booster vaccines.

'Delighted with uptake'

The JCVI said people aged 40-49 will be boosted with either Pfizer or a half dose of the Moderna jab, which still gives a potent immune response. This should be offered six months after the second dose.

Young people aged 16 and 17 are now eligible for a second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, which will be offered from 12 weeks after their first.

Dr Smith said: "Our current focus is on protecting those who are most vulnerable through our winter programme, with both flu vaccination and Covid boosters.

"We are considering how best to implement this new advice regarding 16 and 17-year-olds and will confirm the timetable for this shortly."

Mr Yousaf said: "What this means is even more vaccinations than the record-breaking number we have already done.

"We have got to really examine and explore how we can operationalise that as quickly as we can."