Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Vaccine rollout hits impressive milestone
A quarter of a million residents of the NHS Lanarkshire health board area have now been vaccinated against Covid-19 since the immunisation programme began in December.
More than 17,000 people have also received the vital second dose; and people in their 50s are currently being invited for appointments at the area’s two supercentres including North Lanarkshire facility Ravenscraig.
Health officials say that they are “on target” to vaccinate all over-50s and those below that age who have underlying health conditions by mid-april.
Dr Mark Russell, who is leading the Covid-19 vaccination rollout in Lanarkshire, said: “We would like to thank everyone who has attended so far – our uptake has been more than 90 per cent, which is higher than any of our other vaccination programmes.
“A programme of this scale wouldn’t be possible without the hard work of NHS staff, as well as staff from North and South Lanarkshire councils, who have been key in the running of our vaccination centres.”
Monklands residents are now receiving appointments to attend the Ravenscraig centre, while the Time Capsule in Coatbridge is now one of seven local venues being used for rearranged sessions for those unable to travel.
Dr Russell said: “To help us meet the national target, we have significantly increased the pace of our vaccination programme by appointing people initially to two supercentres; more people being vaccinated quicker is the simplest and most important step we can take to help life get back to normal, faster.
“It wouldn’t be possible to do this without maximising our supercentres, so we’re asking for your help – if you can attend your appointment in a supercentre, please do so, which leaves the local centres for those who absolutely need it.
“We understand that these plans will not be suitable for everyone, so we’ve kept seven local centres for people who cannot travel to the supercentres; and we’ve listened to the concerns raised by communities about accessing the supercentres and are putting in place additional support to help.”
Shuttle buses are now being provided from Motherwell train station and Cumbernauld town centre to Ravenscraig, while NHS Lanarkshire say their work with Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) has also seen existing bus routes amended to reach the vaccination centre.
Route and timetable information is available at at www.travelinescotland. com/lts/#/travelinfo and www.spt.co.uk/ bus/timetables/ or by calling the 24/7 SPT helpline on 0141 465 1878.
NHS Lanarkshire add: “There are a number of travel options and trained staff will find the most appropriate way for everyone to attend a vaccination appointment; travelling for your vaccination is an essential journey and buses have all safety measures in place.”