Vaccination of one of the largest priority groups in Scotland will begin soon as some unpaid carers and people with underlying health conditions are invited to get their jab.

Scots in priority group six are now being invited to get vaccinated as part of the next stage of the vaccine programme.

The first to be asked will be people who have health conditions which are included on both the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation priority list and the flu vaccine list, as well as unpaid carers who receive carers’ benefits or who have been flagged up by their GP.

Carers not in receipt of carers benefits, and not identified by GPs, will be asked to register for their vaccine ‘at a later date’ through an online portal or the national vaccination helpline, the Scottish government has confirmed.

Officials say work is also ongoing to identify people with underlying conditions – including blood cancers, diabetes, severe asthma, or a severe mental illness – who are not already on the modified flu vaccine list, who ‘will be invited shortly’ to book their vaccination.

MSPs recently urged the Scottish government to rethink its approach to vaccinating people with learning disabilities amid fears they could be overlooked.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman has urged patience as the programme tries to deal with one of the largest groups yet: “As we move through the JCVI priority list, we will continue to maximise the number of vaccinations depending on available supply.

“Although a small number of people in group 6 will already have been invited in some parts of Scotland, we are now able to begin to roll out these invites more widely. Boards will begin to send the invites as their supply levels allow, and once they have completed a good proportion of 65 to 69-year-olds.

“This is one of the largest group of people on the priority list, so please be patient. It may take several weeks to get through the whole cohort.

“The age range of people in this cohort can be as young as 16 and their underlying condition may not be obvious to the outside world.

“I would stress that the offer at this time is based on a clinical judgment so we would strongly encourage people of all ages to take up this offer should it come.”

Ms Freeman added that high uptake of the vaccine in recent weeks and a lower supply than originally anticipated means officials have had to adjust the number of appointments in the past week “and for the foreseeable future”.

The Health Secretary said: “We must also ensure we have enough vaccine for second doses when they are due as this provides longer lasting protection against the virus. All of this will mean that some of our vaccination centres may be less busy in the next couple of weeks.

“The vaccination programme is one of three key ways we are working to beat this virus, along with our expanded testing programme to identify cases and break chains of transmission and the important lockdown restrictions everyone in Scotland must follow. All these measures work to greatest effect when they work together.”

Sign up to our bulletin for key health & social care updates straight to your inbox.