Children aged between five and 11 are to be offered the Covid vaccine, the Scottish Government has confirmed.
This comes after Deputy First Minister John Swinney said ministers were awaiting final advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation on the issue.
He said on BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland that the Scottish Government will act "very swiftly".
READ MORE- ScotRail to cancel all services from Edinburgh Waverley due to Storm Dudley
As STV reports, the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon later confirmed that Holyrood ministers have accepted the draft advice and recommendations from the JCVI.
Sturgeon said: "“Although it has yet to be published officially by the JCVI, like colleagues in Wales we have received advice from the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) which recommends Covid-19 vaccination for all children aged five to 11-years-old.
“I can confirm that ministers have considered this draft advice and are content to accept its recommendations.
“Throughout the pandemic it has been our intention that we follow the clinical and scientific evidence available to us and I’d like to once again thank the JCVI for their hard work in scrutinising the science and providing clear guidance.”
The First Minister said that planning the roll out has already started.
She added: "“Discussions with health boards on the best way of delivering vaccinations to five to 11-year-olds have already begun."
“These will continue and we will provide further information when this approach is finalised. In the meantime, parents and carers of children aged between five and 11 need not do anything.
“This draft advice does not affect children in the five to 11-year-old age group who have specific medical conditions which place them at greater risk from Covid-19. This group is already being vaccinated.”
This comes after Wales became the first country in the UK to confirm it will offer the jag to children aged five to 11.
Welsh Health Minister Eluned Morgan announced the move on Tuesday after considering the "yet to be published" JCVI report.
Swinney told the Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme: "We'll take careful account of the JCVI advice and come to conclusions when that is formally received by the Government.", as reported by PA reporters.
Some children in this age group are already able to be vaccinated, he noted, either because of their own medical conditions or the "clinical vulnerability" of others in their household to Covid.
While he said there is "obviously dialogue" between ministers and the JCVI, the Scottish Government is waiting for "the formalisation of that advice to us".
But he added: "The assurance I can give you this morning is the Government will work very quickly to implement the advice when it is formally received from the JCVI.
"The Government has been keen to hear this advice from the joint committee and we will act very swiftly to make sure we can implement any recommendations that are made to us."
His comments came as legal restrictions enforcing measures aimed at halting the spread of coronavirus are being lifted across other parts of the UK.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said she will publish a new strategic framework for dealing with Covid on February 22.
Although face coverings will be needed in communal areas and corridors, the requirement for secondary school pupils and teachers to wear face coverings in class is being dropped from February 28.
Face coverings are still required in all indoor public spaces for people aged 12 and over, including on public transport and in shops, with the Covid vaccine passport scheme in place in nightclubs and at other large events.
The Scottish Government is moving to extend its Covid powers until September 24.
Asked if Scotland has significantly more restrictions than other nations of the UK, the Deputy First Minister insisted: "I don't think that's the case.
"There will be a requirement for face coverings to be worn in public places, obviously these issues are subject to review by the Scottish Government.
"We have set our intention to publish the updated strategic framework, which will be published next week, the Cabinet will be considering that during the course of this week and next.
"Fundamentally the Government has got to have in place a legal framework that enables us to act.
"Covid has not gone away, it has not disappeared, it has not ended, and anyone who puts that argument around is just misleading people.
"Covid is still out there, it is still a significant threat to public health, we have got to proceed with care."
