New figures published by Public Health Scotland show that nearly half of Ayrshire has been vaccinated.

A total of 41.3 per cent of the adult population have had their first dose, that's 127,337 people all together.

It means the Ayrshire and Arran health board area is the fourth furthest along with their vaccination programme, behind NHS Dumfries and Galloway (45.5 per cent), NHS Shetland (45.9 per cent), and NHS Western Isles (48.6 per cent).

Within Ayrshire, South Ayrshire is the furthest along, with 45.4 per cent of residents (43,109 people) having received their first dose. 

North Ayrshire follows at 39.7 per cent (44,532) and East Ayrshire is not far behind at 39.3 per cent (39,696).

Scotland-wide, the percentage is a bit lower, at 34 per cent (1,542,929 people).

As of yesterday (February 25) 1.4 per cent (65,340 people) of the country had received their second dose.

At today's coronavirus briefing the health secretary Jeane Freeman said Scotland will follow the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation's advice that people in their 40s will be next to be targeted with vaccinations, once the current phase is completed.

She said an age-based approach is the "quickest and most effective way of protecting the most vulnerable".

Ms Freeman added that it is also the "most efficient" way in logistical terms of rolling out the vaccine to the remainder of the adult population.

Some people have been calling for priority to be given to frontline workers such as police officers and teachers, with Scottish Labour's spokesman on education, Iain Gray speaking on BBC One's Coronavirus Update programme to say he thinks teachers may be disappointed because there had been signals that priority professions may have been considered in the new JCVI guidelines.

He thinks the JCVI could have taken a "broader view" and thinks if the Scottish Government had decided to vaccinate teachers then schools may have been able to reopen faster.

East Ayrshire Council passed a motion this week to petition the government to consider relaxing the JCVI guidelines to focus on getting teachers and school staff vaccinates.