Brian Whittle has encouraged Health Secretary Jeane Freeman to take a flexible approach with vaccination that takes into account the differences between rural and urban areas.
Responding to a Ministerial Statement on vaccination at Holyrood, the Scottish Conservative Public Health Spokesman suggested that it might sometimes be more efficient to vaccinate multiple risk groups at once rather than making several trips to and from communities in more isolated areas.
As the Scottish Government lays out its plans to give at least one dose of vaccine to the elderly and most clinically vulnerable in the coming weeks, Brian is urging the Scottish Government to do all it can to speed up the process.
Brian Whittle MSP said:
“The roll out of vaccinations across the country is the largest and most important logistical challenge of our lifetimes.
It’s right that we prioritise vaccinating our elderly and most clinically vulnerable groups, but at the same time, we have to avoid sticking so rigidly to a template that we make the process less efficient.
For vaccination teams travelling long distances to more rural areas, it makes a lot of sense to not just vaccinate the highest priority group, but also some of the lower priority groups too. This means fewer round trips and more time available to deliver vaccines.
I’m pleased the Health Secretary has recognised this and agreed to work with health boards to consider when this could be appropriate.”
