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NHS Lanarkshire has pleaded for public assistance as its Covid-19 vaccination programme ramps up to treating 7000 people a day in the coming months.
The health board will be providing more first and second doses to communities across the county, and are asking residents to help ensure it goes smoothly.
Dr Mark Russell, lead for the Covid-19 vaccination programme in Lanarkshire, said: “In the next two weeks we will be vaccinating around 100,000 people, this is 7000 people a day across all of our vaccination clinics.
“Our clinics will be busy, so we are asking the public for their continued support in helping our clinics run as smoothly as possible. Please do not turn up early for your appointment. If you turn up early, our staff will ask you to return closer to your allocated time. This will help to avoid queues building up and make sure your appointment runs as smoothly as possible.”
The health board has added that it is looking at other solutions to help keep clinics running efficiently, including having a flexible team to offer quick responses to staffing challenges that arise.
NHS Lanarkshire is on track to hit 500,000 vaccines soon. This includes both first and second doses.
All appointments for everyone aged over 50 and people under 50 with an underlying health condition have been issued.
Anyone in one of these groups who has not yet received an appointment for their first vaccination should complete the missing appointment form on NHS inform at www. nhsinform.scot/covid-19vaccine/invitations-andappointments/missingappointment-details for help.
For second doses, there’s no need to contact NHS Lanarkshire or your GP practice, as you will be contacted directly. The details of your first dose are recorded on the national system and an appointment will be issued in due course.
If you need to wait slightly longer than 12 weeks for your second dose – for example, if you’ve had a recent positive Covid-19 test result or for other medical reasons, there is no detriment to your immunity or effectiveness of the vaccine and you will not need to repeat your first dose.
Dr Russell added: “I would like to thank the hundreds of staff involved in this vaccination programme and also the member of our communities who are continuing to roll up their sleeves to help Lanarkshire return to normal. Please remember to stick to the FACTS guidance, even after you have been vaccinated.”