Scotland’s First Minister has said she was “emotional” after receiving her first Covid-19 vaccine and paid tribute to NHS staff involved in the rollout.

Nicola Sturgeon became one of more than 2.5 million Scots to have received at least one dose of the vaccine, being inoculated on Thursday at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow.

Allocated the Oxford/AstraZeneca version, the First Minister said it would help to bolster her defence of the jab, which has caused concerns over some rare instances of blood clots.

Speaking to the PA news agency after her vaccination, the First Minister said: “It was totally pain free, I didn’t feel a thing.

“The lovely woman who vaccinated me made it all really easy.

“I guess like many people I felt quite emotional because it’s so important, this vaccination programme, in helping us all get back to normal.”

Ms Sturgeon, who was vaccinated in the middle of an election campaign in Scotland, urged other Scots not to delay when they receive their invitation.

“My message to everybody: as soon as you get the invite to be vaccinated, come forward, be vaccinated, because it’s such an important part of our route back to normality,” she said.

She also praised the work of those who are working to vaccinate the population.

“Thoroughly impressed with the well-oiled machine I saw in there,” she said.

Nicola Sturgeon
Ms Sturgeon holds her arm after receiving the vaccine (Jane Barlow/PA)

“I just want to say such a huge thank you to everyone across the country who’s delivering this programme – they’re heroes, each and every one of them.

“I’m actually quite glad I got AstraZeneca, because there have been concerns raised and I said that I’m confident it’s safe, but now I’m not just saying that, I’ve also had the AstraZeneca vaccine, so I’m glad about that.”