The UK Government has contradicted Health Secretary Jeane Freeman's prediction that vaccine supplies will "dip" in the coming weeks, forcing a slowdown of the vaccination programme.
Ms Freeman said yesterday that the rollout would have to be scaled back in the next two weeks because of problems affecting supplies to the UK.
There will be a drop in supply across all four nations of the UK, Ms Freeman said, which is being caused by work being carried out by Pfizer – the manufacturer of one of the approved vaccines.
READ MORE: Scotland rollout will be 'scaled back'
However, a spokeswoman for the UK Government denied this was the case, saying there was "no issue" with vaccine supplies, or their delivery.
She said: “There is currently no issue with vaccine manufacture or supply and we are still confident that the steady, regular supply of doses will continue to support the vaccine rollout right across the UK in the weeks ahead.
"As Pfizer have said, the overall projected supply for the UK remains unchanged for January to March 2021.”
More than 1 million peole have been vaccinated in Scotland
Speaking on Thursday, Ms Freeman told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme: “This is about the supply into the UK, it is not about distribution around the UK. So it will affect all four nations of the UK.
“That will reduce our expected supply next week and the week after by about somewhere between 120,000 and 190,000 doses a week overall over the two vaccines.
“And what that means then is we need to scale back on the pace we have reached this week – we will reach over 400,000 doses this week, which is a couple of weeks earlier than we said we would. But we will need to scale back a bit."
READ MORE: Valneva vaccine latest to roll off the production line
On Friday, she stood by this statement, saying: "We are not currently able, for the next couple of weeks, to be able to go as fast as we have been going.
"In terms of forward supply, this is all around the manufacturing process. Pfizer - said not that long ago they would have to scale down manufacturing in order to scale it up to meet global demand.
"Right at the moment the supply of the vaccine is secure, it's about the volume it comes to us week on week. Next cope of weeks will be reduced."
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