COVID-19 Discussions regarding mandatory vaccinations in Scotland: FOI release

Information requested

Has there been any discussion in the government on mandatory vacations in Scotland?

Response

The Scottish Government remains committed to vaccination programs and we strongly recommend that individuals eligible to receive vaccinations do so. However, vaccinations are not mandatory and it remains a personal choice whether an individual chooses to receive one. The decision on vaccination is one of personal choice and the Scottish Government has no current plans to introduce mandatory vaccination or to impose any penalties relating to this.

Upon receiving their first COVID vaccination, patients will be given a reminder leaflet which will be issued with the date of their follow up appointment to receive their second dose. All vaccinations are held on an individual’s medical records.

The Scottish Government are working on vaccine certification issues on a Four Nations basis in the UK. We are contributing to the WHO Safer Vaccinations Programme, sitting on three working groups covering data quality, standards and equality issues to support the reopening of international travel once it is safe to do so. This includes further exploration of what a certificate could and could not be used for, and work on standards that will guide our next steps both internationally and domestically.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.