Vaccination data 'must be published weekly' once jabs begin

The publication of weekly vaccine data once the programme is under way is vital, according to the Scottish Tories.

The first doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech jab arrived in Scotland over the weekend, with those tasked with giving it out due to be inoculated from Tuesday.

In total, 65,000 doses were received by the Scottish Government, with more on the way.

Hailed as a “light at the end of the tunnel” by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, healthcare staff and people over 80 will be first to receive the vaccine.

Scottish Tory health spokesman Donald Cameron has called on the Scottish Government to publish weekly updates on the vaccine in the same way it does for the the flu jab.

Data published should be localised to ensure any problems can be quickly spotted and rectified to avoid a “postcode lottery”, Cameron said.

“The Scottish Conservatives believe it’s vital that the SNP tell us how many people will be vaccinated this week and commit to publishing that information on a regular basis,” he added.

“It’s important that the public knows when the Government will have completed the process of vaccinating the vaccinators and, as a result, when and where care home residents can expect to start receiving their jags.”

Cameron also pressed for more transparency from the Scottish Government after his party filed more than 30 parliamentary questions at the end of last week looking for information about the vaccine, which they say have gone unanswered.

He said: “This is also the fourth time since the vaccine approval that we have sought answers to straightforward, essential questions.

“There is a pressing need for the Government to reveal their plans.

“Drip-feeding a few details at press conferences is not good enough.”

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “We expect indicative data about the first wave of vaccination to be available later this week and will establish a regular schedule of formal publication of verified data as with other statistics related to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We will make further info available to parliament shortly.”