Covid-19 jabrolled outforthe over-40s
NHS Lanarkshire is now inviting residents in their 40s for Covid vaccination appointment, and aim to have reached all adults aged 18 and over by the end of July.
Health board officials are asking all adults to “roll up your sleeves” as the next phase of the vaccination programme begins, emphasising the importance of receiving the immunisation.
People aged 40-49 will be invited first to appointment at the Ravenscraig and East Kilbride supercentres, followed by those aged 3039 and then 18-29 – with the latter group receiving either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine following expert guidance.
Lesley Thomson, who is nurse director of South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “You will be invited when it is your turn to get vaccinated.
“Please be patient as we work through the age groups – it will take time for us to [do this] as we are providing second-dose vaccinations as well.
“When you are invited forward, please do get the vaccine if you are able to do so.
“The vaccine provides our best way out of the coronavirus pandemic and a return, in time, to the things we’ve all missed.”
She added that more than 350,000 Lanarkshire residents have been vaccinated to date, and added: “We have made great progress and I am hugely grateful to the vaccine delivery teams for how they have responded to this huge logistical challenge.”
Glasgow University expert Professor Emma Thomson also assured residents about the stringent testing process surrounding all of the vaccines which have been developed.
The infectious diseases expert led work undertaken in Scotland to develop the Covid-19 vaccine, and said: “Each passes through a three-phase testing process, reviewed by independent regulatory and advisory bodies, to ensure it is effective and safe. Licensed Covid-19 vaccines have passed through the same rigorous tests as all other vaccines in tens of thousands of participants who have taken part in trials around the world, and we continue to monitor for sideeffects even after licensing in the millions of people who have already received them.”
NHS Lanarkshire emphasise that “those who have been vaccinated should continue to follow FACTS as it will take time to establish the impact of the vaccines on transmission of the virus”.