18-29 year olds in Scotland encouraged to get covid jag - as vaccination uptake slows
The Health Secretary is urging anyone who hasn't had their first dose yet to come forward.
Last updated 15th Jul 2021
The Scottish Government is doing "everything we can'' to encourage uptake of the coronavirus vaccine among younger Scots, the Health Secretary has said. Humza Yousaf said there is concern that uptake has slowed since the vaccination programme was opened to the 18 to 29 age group.
Speaking on a visit to a drop-in vaccination clinic in Arbroath, Angus, on Thursday, he urged anyone who has not had their first dose yet to come forward for a jag.
Several drop-in centres have been set up around mainland Scotland, as the programme nears completion of first doses for all adults who attended their scheduled appointment.
Mr Yousaf said he hopes that by the end of Sunday, around 90% of the adult population will have had at least their first dose.
He says, "That 90% can mask some of the concerns that I've got, particularly as you go lower down the age groups and begin to see less of an uptake - 18 to 29-year-olds for example, by Sunday we might only get to about 70%.
"We've got to work really hard, as hard as we possibly can, in the weeks and months to come to do as much 'mop-up', as well as doing the second doses, as we possibly can.''
Asked about the rates of younger Scots coming forward, he added: "There's no doubt it's concerning, that's why we're doing everything we can.
"Drop-ins, mobile vaccination, going to where young people are such as shopping centres and football clubs.
"We're flooding social media. But there's not one silver bullet, we're going to have to keep doing as much of this as we possibly can.''
Earlier, Scotland's national clinical director conceded the vaccination programme is "slowing a little bit''.
Professor Jason Leitch said he hopes changes to travel regulations, which mean those who have been fully vaccinated no longer need to isolate after returning home from amber-list countries, could encourage more people to be inoculated.
The number of vaccinations reached a three-month low earlier this week, with 17,749 injections - including 7,163 first doses - administered on Monday.
The latest figures from Public Health Scotland show that in the four weeks between June 12 and July 9, almost two-thirds (64.7%) of confirmed coronavirus cases were among the unvaccinated.
Just over half (51.6%) of Covid-19 hospital admissions for the same four-week period involved unvaccinated individuals, with 70.6% of this group aged under 40.
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