SCOTTISH Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie has accused Health Secretary Humza Yousaf of failing to help a young disabled person secure a Covid-19 vaccine appointment.

Ms Baillie wrote to Mr Yousaf about the case of 14-year-old Katie Steel, a young woman living with cerebral and bulbar palsy whose neurology team advised that she should receive the jab. 

But when the team contacted the Scottish government’s Covid hub to organise a vaccine, they were reportedly told that it was not available for her.

In Scotland, the Covid-19 vaccine is only available for clinically vulnerable young people aged over 16, but reports suggest that vulnerable children in England have already been receiving their vaccination.

In his response to Ms Baillie’s letter, Mr Yousaf denied that Katie’s neurology team had asked for a vaccine appointment from the Covid hub.

Ms Baillie said that the “complete failure” of Mr Yousaf to assist in the case highlights the growing gap in treatment, adding: “It’s high time Humza Yousaf rethinks the position he has taken and decides to intervene positively on Katie’s behalf.”