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We are working to ensure everyone is fully informed regarding COVID-19 vaccinations. Our digital and social media campaigns began in January, alongside an outdoors advertising campaign and a TV and radio campaign. We have translated our Test and Protect door drop information into a wide range of languages and accessible formats, to reach out to communities.

The Scottish COVID-19 Vaccination Helpline (0800 030 8013) is now open, to make sure that anyone who thinks they are eligible and hasn’t received an invitation/has been missed, can arrange an appointment to have one.

The Scottish Government is also working with faith based, third sector and community groups to reach out to more people from deprived communities to increase the vaccine uptake. This includes BEMIS and Scottish Refugee Council, to reach people with no recourse to public funds (NRPF), including both new entrants into Scotland and people who have lived and worked in the UK for many years.

The vaccination work builds on the other coronavirus messaging aimed at these individuals, which has included highlighting the self-isolation funding available to eligible individuals with NRPF.

We have put in place financial and practical support to ensure all parts of our community have the knowledge and confidence to participate in this vaccination programme and to remove any practical barriers.

We understand that attending large vaccination centres will not be possible for everyone and we are working closely with our partners to ensure we are doing all we can to support everyone accessing vaccines in the weeks ahead.

Our top priority is to vaccinate as many people as we can as quickly as possible, starting with those at the highest clinical risk.

To achieve this, the Scottish Government is working to ensure everyone is fully informed and supported on COVID-19 vaccinations to encourage high uptake. Some of our actions include:

Our digital and social media campaigns which went live on January 4th, as well as a national door drop which arrived with households on the same week. Our outdoors campaign began on the 11th of January.

Our TV and radio campaigns began on the week starting the 21st of January.

The Scottish COVID-19 Vaccination Helpline (0800 030 8013) was also set up and open to make sure those who are called forward for the vaccine can get the information they need.

Our marketing and insights work will look at whether we need additional ways to promote the protection of being vaccinated to younger age groups.

We understand the anxiety around the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s (JCVI) criteria of only severe and profound learning disabilities being eligible for vaccination during group 6.

(a) We have now made the decision to expand group 6 of the JCVI priority list. This now means that anyone with a learning/intellectual disability living in Scotland is eligible for vaccination during group 6. This does not include people with learning difficulties such as dyslexia or ADHD.

NHS Boards are already aware of this change through our operational vaccination groups, however on 24th February the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Nursing Officer additionally wrote to NHS Boards Chief Officers and Health And Social Care Partnerships highlighting the change and offering the expertise of local learning disability nurses in providing reasonable adjustments for the COVID-19 Immunisation programme.

We have worked with Public Health Scotland in the identification exercise to make sure both current and historic records are checked to ensure we capture everyone who is eligible. Even for individuals who do not have any contact with their GP, their historic diagnosis will have been recorded and they will therefore be invited for vaccination. Individuals who require it can also request an alternative venue through the national booking portal or helpline (0800 030 8013), and can be accompanied by a carer.

(b) The JCVI considers staff in care homes for adults with learning disabilities as part of the category of frontline health and social care workers providing direct care to vulnerable people. They are a high priority for vaccination, and eligible now, if they have not been vaccinated already, as part of group 2.

We do not have this level of detail from the current vaccination rollout at the moment. We are working closely with Public Health Scotland to evaluate the current data, including take-up of the vaccine by ethnicity and Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) quintile.

The Scottish Government is working with faith based, third sector and community groups to reach out to more people to increase the vaccine uptake and to provide as much information as possible so that all parts of our community have the knowledge and confidence to participate in this programme.

We are working to ensure everyone is fully informed regarding COVID-19 vaccinations. Our digital and social media campaigns began in January, alongside an outdoors advertising campaign and a TV and radio campaign.

The Scottish COVID-19 Vaccination Helpline (0800 030 8013) is now open, to make sure that anyone who thinks they are eligible and hasn’t received an invitation / has been missed, can arrange an appointment to have one.

The Scottish Government is also working with faith based, third sector and community groups to reach out to more people from deprived communities to increase the vaccine uptake. This includes BEMIS (Black and Ethnic Minority Infrastructure in Scotland) and Scottish Refugee Council, to also reach people with no recourse to public funds (NRPF), including both new entrants into Scotland and people who have lived and worked in the UK for many years.

The vaccination work builds on the other coronavirus messaging and has included highlighting the self-isolation funding available to eligible individuals.

We have put in place financial and practical support to ensure all parts of our community have the knowledge and confidence to participate in this vaccination programme and to remove any practical barriers.

We are working to ensure everyone is fully informed regarding COVID-19 vaccinations. Our digital and social media campaigns began in January, alongside an outdoors advertising campaign and a TV and radio campaign.

The Scottish COVID-19 Vaccination Helpline (0800 030 8013) is now open, to make sure that anyone who thinks they are eligible and hasn’t received an invitation/has been missed, can arrange an appointment to have one.

The Scottish Government is also working with faith based, third sector and community groups to reach out to more people from deprived communities to increase the vaccine uptake. This includes BEMIS and Scottish Refugee Council, to reach people with no recourse to public funds (NRPF), including both new entrants into Scotland and people who have lived and worked in the UK for many years.

The vaccination work builds on the other coronavirus messaging aimed at these individuals, which has included highlighting the self-isolation funding available to eligible individuals with NRPF.

We have put in place financial and practical support to ensure all parts of our community have the knowledge and confidence to participate in this vaccination programme and to remove any practical barriers.

Our top priority is to vaccinate as many people as we can as quickly as possible, starting with those at the highest clinical risk.

We do not currently have the number of vaccinated adults over the age of 80 with learning disabilities; however, we can confirm as of Thursday 4 March 261,709 people aged 80 or over have received their first dose of the vaccine (97%).

We are progressing through the vaccine rollout programme, and if supplies allow, we will aim to reach key vaccination targets earlier than previously planned. Our intention - supplies permitting - is to have offered first doses to everyone on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) priority list by mid-April.

The Scottish Government is working with partners such as Health Boards and Public Health Scotland to ensure that Covid-19 information is in accessible format for blind and partially-sighted people.

The vaccination material is available in multiple formats such as audio and social media assets which have audio descriptors. The appointment letters also have a provision of a QR code which has been introduced after having a consultation with the policy, marketing, public and third sector organisation to ensure that people have information in accessible formats. The appointments letters issued by Service Now are all in accessible formats.

Furthermore, help is also provided through the Covid-19 Helpline which is 0800 030 8013.

It is responsibility of NHS Health Boards to ensure that those who are partially sighted are aware of their appointment details.

We anticipate that everyone on the JCVI priority list that has received their first dose will have received their second dose by end of March 2021, if supply allows.

Based on our latest data published today on 3 March are as follows:

• 92,550 people have received the second dose of the Covid vaccination.
• This is an increase of 8,105 reported from 2 March.

The full breakdown can be accessed here: Coronavirus (COVID-19): daily data for Scotland - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The Public Health Scotland reports on vaccination on first and second doses by week which can be accessed here: COVID-19 Daily Dashboard - PHS COVID-19 | Tableau Public

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-35059 on 4 March 2021. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx