Scotland hopes to begin mass Covid vaccination in early December

First vaccines will be given to health workers, care staff and over-80s, says health secretary

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The Scottish government is expecting to launch its mass Covid-19 vaccination programme as early as the first week of December, targeting frontline health workers and the elderly.

Jeane Freeman, the Scottish health secretary, said the government expected to take delivery of 320,000 doses of Pfizer/BioNTech's mRNA vaccine in early December as part of the UK-wide vaccination programme and immediately start vaccinating health workers, care staff and over-80s.