Nicola Sturgeon promises students will be vaccinated by Welcome Week

Nicola Sturgeon has vowed that all adults, including students, will be fully vaccinated by the middle of September.

This is because the vaccine rollout in Scotland continues to be ahead of schedule and the initial aim of giving all adults their first shot has been altered from the end of July to the earlier date of 18th July.

The Scottish Government now aims to have all second COVID jabs given eight weeks after the first dose – which gives a date for all adults in Scotland to be fully vaccinated by 12th September.

Meanwhile, Edinburgh Uni’s Welcome Week begins on the 13th and term begins again on the 20th.

In a TV press conference, Nicola Sturgeon said: “Eight weeks from that takes us to mid-September, which is when we would hope that we will be on track to complete second doses,”

“The caveat I’ve got to put in there is that is dependent on us having the supply to do that — but we are wanting to give second doses eight weeks after first doses.

“So if we’re going to complete first doses by the middle of July then eight weeks after that is when — all things permitting — we would hope thereabouts to be completing second doses as well.”

This is despite Edinburgh Uni telling students that they expect hybrid teaching to continue into the next academic year. Specifically, they believe lectures will remain online but seminars and tutorials can happen in-person with social distancing.

In an email in May, they promised that “for the majority of students there will be a mix of in-person and digital teaching, but we expect overall there will be more in-person teaching for students than in this current academic year”.

It should also be noted that two doses of the vaccine are shown to significantly reduce the risk of serious illness from Covid-19. This includes the Delta variant.

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