12,000 a week to be vaccinated at centre
The Pyramids will be fully operational as hub next month
NHS Lothian say West Lothian’s Covid-19 vaccination centre at The Pyramids in Bathgate will be fully operational by midFebruary.
Residents aged 70 to 79 in the county started receiving their vaccination appointment letters this week but The Courier has been told that some people are being sent outwith their local area.
Labour Lothian list MSP, Neil Findlay, says he was inundated with calls from elderly constituents being sent to GP surgeries in different towns and villages.
One man from Eliburn in Livingston, reported that his Public Health Scotland letter had told him to attend the vaccination centre at the Edinburgh International
Conference Centre (EICC) next week.
NHS Lothian say that such appointments are allocated at a national level and people are only being sent to Edinburgh as a temporary measure.
The health board also say it is important to vaccinate as many individuals as possible, as quickly as possible, to help reduce the risk of Covid-19.
This means that for some people appointments will be in different locations to where they would normally attend for vaccination.
David Small, director of primary care transformation and vaccination programme lead, NHS Lothian said: “Across Lothian, the majority of people will receive appointments in our mass vaccination centres, of which the EICC is one.
“The reason for this is to maximise the number of people that we can vaccinate at any one time, and is in line with national guidance.
“The more people that we can vaccinate, the sooner we can help to reduce the risks associated with Covid-19, and begin the process of a return to normal life.
“Appointments are being issued via a national scheduling tool and as such, NHS Lothian does not allocate the date or venue that is offered for individual appointments.
“In certain circumstances, for example if an individual is unable to travel, appointments may need to move to a location closer to home by calling the number given on the appointment letter.
“We would however, urge the public to only request a change in appointment location if their circumstances mean they are unable to go elsewhere.”
The EICC is Lothian’s first mass vaccination centre to open and will begin to vaccinate individuals from Monday, February 1.
NHS Lothian’s other mass vaccination centres include: The Pyramids Business Park in Bathgate and Queen Margaret University, which will be operational by midFebruary.
They advise that appointments can only be rescheduled by contacting the telephone number detailed within the appointment letter.
The vaccination centre in Bathgate will look to be giving the Covid-19 jab to 12,000 people per week.
The opening at The Pyramids coincides with the Scottish
Government’s target date to have everyone aged 70 to 79 vaccinated in Scotland.
That leaves 65 to 69 year-olds before the first two waves of vaccination will be completed.
Wave three, targeting aged 60 to 64, 55 to 59, 50 to 54, followed by the rest of the population, is expected to begin in Spring.
At her briefing , Nicola Sturgeon said: “It’s in your interests, and obviously, everybody else’s interests, for you to accept the appointment and get vaccinated as soon as possible.
“Today therefore marks a further important milestone in a vaccination programme which is making good progress and we remain on track to vaccinate everybody who is over the age of 70 by the middle of February.”