First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will update the Scottish people on the vaccine roll-out this week after Prime Minister Boris Johnson opened the booster programme to anyone over 18 in England.
In a public address to the nation, Mr Johnson announced that the booster programme in England would be brought forward by a month to help curb the expected “tidal wave of Omicron”.
Mr Johnson also announced several measures to help the NHS and devolved governments to carry out ambitious booster targets.
To meet the target of boosting the rest of the population it would mean that one million people would need to be jabbed every day until the new year.
It comes as the threat level from Covid was raised to Level 4 as cases from Omicron are doubling every two days.
Boris Johnson urged the public to get some level of protection
In the pre-recorded address, Mr Johnson said: “It is now clear that two doses of vaccine are simply not enough to give the level of protection we all need.
“But the good news is that our scientists are confident that with a third dose, a booster dose, we can all bring our level of protection back up.”
However, it is yet to be confirmed by scientists that the Omicron variant is less severe than previous variants and so the Prime Minister is urging anyone eligible to get “some level of protection”.
In a statement, Ms Sturgeon confirmed that work is underway to accelerate the booster programme in Scotland.
She said: “Scotland already has the highest proportion of the over 12 population protected with the booster or third doses of all the UK nations.
“As an immediate first step, the NHS Inform booking portal will open to 30-39-year-olds from 10 am tomorrow and to 18-29-year-olds later in the week.
“We face, once again, a renewed challenge from Covid”
“Getting booster jags into people’s arms as quickly as possible is essential given what we now know about Omicron and the importance of boosters in ensuring maximum protection against the new variant.
“Given the expected volume of cases in the weeks ahead, however, it is also possible that further, proportionate protective measures or advice will be necessary. This is true even if Omicron proves to be slightly less severe than Delta.”
While the vaccination roll-out will begin to gather pace again, Omicron still poses a significant threat to the economic recovery and healthcare services.
Ms Sturgeon will be reviewing the latest data on December 13 ahead of the cabinet meeting and an address to Parliament on Tuesday where she will outline the next steps.
She added: “In the meantime, we are urging people to get vaccinated, test ahead of mixing with other households, work from home if possible, wear face coverings and follow all hygiene advice.
“We face, once again, a renewed challenge from Covid. By pulling together to protect ourselves and others, we will get through it.”