NICOLA Sturgeon said news that the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine has been approved for use in the over-12s “makes my heart sing”.
The First Minister welcomed the announcement by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) that the jag could be used in the younger age group, following a review of its safety, quality and effectiveness.
But Sturgeon stressed that under-16s are unlikely to start receiving the vaccine any time in the near future.
Asked about the decision, she welcomed the news and said the Scottish Government would wait for advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on how to potentially include younger people in the vaccine roll-out. Speaking at the Government’s coronavirus briefing, Sturgeon said: “Any good news on vaccines makes my heart sing.
“And I think given the more challenging figures we’re seeing right now, all good news on vaccines is welcome.
“I think it is really positive news.”
She added: “We always follow the advice of the JCVI, we always have done before, but we need to wait for that. And then if there is a decision to move ahead to vaccinate that age group, we will need to consider the supply implications of that, over what timescale that would be possible given the supplies of the vaccine, and how we plan the programme to develop in that way.
“So there are still some steps to be taken there.
“It is not the case that the MHRA decision this morning means that children in that age group will suddenly start being vaccinated next week or in a few weeks’ time, there is work to be done there. But it is good news. I think anything positive on the vaccine is good news.”
Scotland’s national clinical director, Professor Jason Leitch (above), said he expected an update from the JCVI “relatively quickly” but said: “I don’t anticipate 12 to 15-year-olds being vaccinated this week or next week.
“We’ve still got quite a lot to do with second doses for the at-risk population because it is still an unusual event to be seriously unwell as a child.”
Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: “This is very welcome news and we now need the UK and Scottish governments to put in place a plan for how these vaccinations will be rolled out to young people aged 12-15.”
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