Almost one million jabs

More than 840,000 vaccine doses have been dished out in Ayrshire and Arran.

Claire Burden, the new NHS Ayrshire and Arran chief executive, spoke of her pride at the way her staff have administered the vaccines and the way they’ve reacted to the two-year pandemic.

She said: “So far, we have administered 843,690 (as of Thursday, March 24) vaccines to people in Ayrshire and Arran. This includes first, second and third dose vaccines.”

Ms Burden warned that NHS Ayrshire & Arran still remains under “emergency planning conditions” as they treat new Covid-19 patients every day.

She said: “As cases in our local communities continue to rise, this clearly adds to the constant pressure throughout our health and care system across the whole of Ayrshire and Arran.

Ms Burden praised all those involved in the success of the rollout of the vaccine programme and added: “I want to thank those working in our vaccination teams in helping us take forward this vital programme.”