Rachael Hamilton has called on the Scottish Government to ensure that key workers such emergency services workers, police officers and teachers are vaccinated.
She joins calls along with Scottish Conservative leader, Douglas Ross, that key workers should be next in line to receive the vaccination after the elderly and vulnerable.
The teaching union, the EIS, said it was crucial for teaching staff to receive the vaccination in order for schools and education to return as normal.
The Scottish Police Federation are also calling for police officers to have priority in accessing the Covid-19 vaccine.
Jason Leitch, Scotland’s national clinical director, projected that about 5% of Scotland’s vaccines will be unused due to wastage such as human error, broken seals, breakages or unavoidable expiry.
Mrs Hamilton called for these vaccine vials that are due to expire or go to waste, to be made available to key workers, who can be mobilised quickly.
Her calls were repeated by Calum Steele of the Scottish Police Federation who said: “The police service is in a very good position to be able to respond at very short notice to opportunities like that were they to present themselves. In practice, it is dependent on local relationships. Anything that creates a bureaucracy would add delay and risk vaccines being spoiled.”
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, the UK body which assesses vaccine priority, has yet to draw up a list of key workers who should be first for the vaccine.
The Borders MSP believes that it is vital key workers are offered vaccinations in earnest, given they respond to potentially dangerous situations, or are exposed to significant numbers of people daily.
Rachael Hamilton MSP said:
“Day after day, we see the SNP Government failing to keep up the pace with the rest of the UK on rolling out vaccines.
“Of course we must ensure elderly and vulnerable people are vaccinated first, but there must be a coherent plan to ensure key workers are vaccinated as a matter of priority.
“The First Minister failed to address my question, and the Scottish Police Federation has noted there has been a lack of consideration towards officers in their latest press release.
"Once schools reopen, teachers will be back with large numbers of pupils and protecting them quickly will make it easier and safer to get kids back into classrooms.
“Hardworking police officers are often coming into contact with significant numbers of members of the public every day, putting them at risk.
“The least we could do is offer the vaccine to those who are on the frontline”.
Speaking in response to the First Minister’s answer on Police Officer vaccines, David Hamilton, Chair of the Scottish Police Federation said:
“Nobody disagrees with the approach of prioritizing vaccinations for the old and the vulnerable, or for frontline health and social care workers. But we all know that individuals, not in that cohort, are also being vaccinated as a consequence of the roles they are doing.
“For the FM to airbrush that reality out of her earlier response has enraged Police Officers, many of whom continue to put themselves at personal risk on the public health frontline.
“Their simple question is, where do those individuals who are Security guards, Undertakers, Religious leaders, Foodbank Volunteers, Volunteer Rescue teams or even Home workers, who are not in the priority cohort, fit on the JCVI list?
“There is no consistency in this policy and we are left wondering if the Scottish Government has lost control of its vaccination programme altogether.”