SCOTS over the age of 80 could begin receiving the Oxford coronavirus vaccine from early January, the Health Secretary has said.

Jeane Freeman MSP said that, if approval is granted before the end of the year, GPs could give the first Oxford jags on January 11.

Matt Hancock said this afternoon that the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine has submitted its full data package to the MHRA for approval, raising hopes that approval will rapidly follow.

Freeman also said that the vaccine could be used in a far wider range of settings than the Pfizer jab which started to be rolled out in Scotland on December 8.

By December 20, a total of 56,676 people had received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine, including care home residents and staff and patient-facing NHS staff.

READ MORE: Top adviser warns March-style Covid lockdown on cards for Scotland 

In a statement at the Scottish Parliament, Freeman said that pending supply and delivery, officials expect to complete the second dose of vaccinations for this group next month.

The Health Secretary said: "Right now we have access to just one vaccine, in the near future we hope that it will be two.

"The new AstraZeneca vaccination, should it get Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approval, does not need to be stored at ultra-low temperatures and is easier to transport. That means that we we will be able to deploy it in far wider settings than has been the case for Pfizer.

"Dependent on Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advice, we will likely use it to prioritise vaccination of the over-80s who are not care home residents and for this group to be largely vaccinated in GP settings.

"Should the AstraZeneca vaccine be approved before the end of this calendar year then we anticipate that we will be able to commence vaccination from primary care locations from Monday January 11."

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The Health Secretary said Scotland anticipates receiving 172,575 doses of the Pfizer vaccine by the end of the week, 50% of which will be retained to ensure that those already vaccinated can be given the second dose after the 21 days required.

She said that, vaccine supplies permitting, the aim is to have all those on the JCVI prioritisation list vaccinated in the spring. Dependent on supplies they will then move on to the rest of the population.

She also said there is "no evidence at this point" to suggest the current vaccinations will not be effective against the new B117 strain of coronavirus that has been identified.

Speaking at a press conference this afternoon, the UK Health Secreatry said the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine has now submitted full data to the regulator for approval.

Hancock said: “Amid all this difficulty, the great hope for 2021 is of course the vaccine.

“The vaccine is our route out of all this and however tough this Christmas and this winter is going to be, we know that the transforming force of science is helping to find a way through.

“I’m delighted to be able to tell you that the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine developed here in the UK has submitted its full data package to the MHRA for approval.

“This is the next step towards a decision on the deployment of the vaccine which is already being manufactured, including here in the UK.”