Winter Covid and flu jabs begin as plans discussed for risk groups
- Published
Scotland's winter vaccination programme gets under way on Monday as health boards consider extra measures to protect at-risk groups.
The flu and Covid jabs will be rolled out across the country just days after a new variant of Covid-19 was confirmed in Scotland.
BA.2.86 is being closely monitored by the World Health Organization.
Appointments may be brought forward for those most at risk of becoming seriously ill from flu and Covid-19.
Public Health Scotland (PHS) said it was working closely with the Scottish government to decide if care home residents, over 75s and those with weakened immune systems should come forward before mid-October, when they were due to be vaccinated.
It comes days after Scotland detected its first case of a new Covid variant which is being closely monitored by the World Health Organization.
BA.2.86 is not yet considered a variant of concern but it has a high number of mutations.
Genomic sequencing detected the variant from a PCR sample collected on 16 August.
The strain has already been found in several countries including Canada, Israel and the US.
Testing for the virus has been scaled back across the globe and scientists say they do not have clear information about how rapidly it is spreading.
The new variant was also found in wastewater testing in another NHS health board area.
The winter vaccination programme for those who are eligible begins on 4 September
Public Health Scotland (PHS), the NHS body responsible for monitoring and managing the coronavirus, says the accuracy of wastewater testing is variable and results should be treated with caution.
The number of Covid cases in Scotland has been increasing since the beginning of July.
PHS reported 1,342 cases in the week ending 27 August but this is likely to be a significant underestimate because there is so little testing in the wider community.
There is no evidence at this point that the new variant B.2.86 that has been detected in Scotland is any more serious than others.
But scientists want to monitor it, because it has a large number of mutations and it is not clear how rapidly it is spreading.
We do know from the limited testing data that exists, that Covid cases in Scotland have been going up since the start of July. Although it is unclear just how prevalent it is.
It's against this backdrop that the winter vaccination programme gets underway. But there are concerns about vaccine apathy because Covid is far less disruptive to our day-to-day lives now.
Last winter saw less than 50% of frontline health and social care workers come forward for a jab. It was just 63% of younger people considered to be vulnerable.
Public health experts say it's important that everyone who is eligible takes up the vaccine. The hope is that by topping up immunity in more vulnerable groups, it will mean fewer hospital admissions this winter and less health and social care staff off work sick.