Record high vaccination day in Scotland as 45,000 get jabs

Scotland has recorded its highest daily total for coronavirus vaccinations.

More than 45,000 people received the first dose of the Covid-19 jab on Wednesday, bringing the overall total to just over 694,000.

It comes after criticism of the Scottish Government for overseeing a “sluggish” start to the vaccination programme, with opposition parties saying it was languishing behind other parts of the UK.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has defended those claims, arguing that a slower rate than other UK counties was mostly down to choosing to focus on care home residents and staff.

Mass vaccination centres have recently opened in Edinburgh and Aberdeen, while the NHS Louisa Jordan temporary hospital in Glasgow is also being used.

Sturgeon said vaccine uptake in Scotland was “beyond anything I could ever have believed would be possible”.

She said 98% of older care home residents have received the first dose of the vaccine, while more than 90% of those over 80 have also been inoculated.

She said: “I want to thank you, the public, those of you in the groups that have already been prioritised for vaccine, for coming forward in such large numbers so far.

“The uptake rates we’re seeing, and I hope this continues as we get into the younger population groups, are way beyond anything I could ever have believed would be possible – way beyond what we see in the flu vaccine programme.

“That’s testament to the willingness and the enthusiasm of people to come forward and be vaccinated for their own safety, but also to be part of that collective effort that we need to have to beat this virus.”

More to follow…