Plans on future Covid-19 vaccinations: FOI release

Information requested

Details on the plans on future COVID-19 vaccinations:

Please advise if there is a plan is for continued vaccination against COVID-19. Will a fourth vaccination be offered to all adults in the near future? Is there a plan for regular boosters, and if so, how often will they be offered, for example every year with the flu vaccine?

If there are no plans to continue to offer vaccinations and boosters against COVID-19, what evidence was used to come to this decision?

Additionally, why is there a delay in providing information to the public about whether or not there will be a regular booster offered?

Response

Please advise if there is a plan is for continued vaccination against COVID-19. Will a fourth vaccination be offered to all adults in the near future? Is there a plan for regular boosters, and if so, how often will they be offered, for example every year with the flu vaccine?

I can confirm that the Scottish Government is yet to make a final decision about which groups will be offered vaccination during Autumn/Winter. While The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has now published an interim statement setting out likely priority groups, it has not yet offered a final advice statement for Autumn/Winter 2022. Full details of the interim advice can be found here JCVI Autumn Winter 2022 interim advice.

On 19 May 2022 interim advice was received from the JCVI that states in order to maximise protection in those most vulnerable to serious illness, COVID-19 booster vaccines should be offered to certain priority groups for autumn 2022. Prioritising those most at risk has been our approach from the outset.
The JCVI advises an offer of vaccination for the following individuals:

• Residents in a care home for older adults and staff working in care homes for older adults;
• Frontline health and social care workers;
• All those 65 years of age and over; and
• Adults aged 16 to 65 years in a clinical risk group.

If there are no plans to continue to offer vaccinations and boosters against COVID-19, what evidence was used to come to this decision?
There are plans to offer further vaccinations.

Additionally, why is there a delay in providing information to the public about whether or not there will be a regular booster offered?
Once the Scottish Government has the final advice statement from the JCVI for Autumn/Winter 2022 COVID-19 vaccination programme, we will consider the advice along with all relevant wider considerations before setting out our final approach. Once this has been agreed we will notify the Scottish Parliament and people across Scotland, so that everyone knows whether they will be offered a further booster and when to expect an appointment. In terms of future regular boosters, this matter will remain under review as further evidence about the virus and about the longevity of protection offered by boosters emerges. We will continue to be guided by the evidence on this.

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