Councillor urges people to be patient and have trust in medics and scientists
A Perth councillor - who sits on the NHS Tayside board is urging people to be patient when it comes to the COVID vaccine.
Perth City Centre councillor Eric Drysdale made the remarks as he opened Wednesday’s IJB meeting.
Cllr Drysdale, who chairs the Perth and Kinross Integration Joint Board, said: “Even if you don’t believe the politicians, please believe the country’s best scientists and medical professionals when they say it is safe and strongly recommended.”
The SNP councillor told the board he welcomes the launch of the UK’s vaccination programme.
Cllr Drysdale said: “Firstly, it is of course marvellous news that COVID vaccinations began across the country yesterday - including in Tayside - and there is hope that the end of this global pandemic may be achievable in 2021.
“I wanted, however, to stress that we all need to be very patient for potentially several more months while the vaccines are deployed across the adult population.
“To understand the scale of the challenge still faced if we are to get on top of this virus, we all need to recognise that - in Perth and Kinross alone - almost 130,000 people from Kinloch Rannoch to Kinross and from Crieff to the Carse of Gowrie - will need to be offered a vaccine according to the agreed order of medical priority.
“This is an absolutely enormous logistical and organisational challenge made all the more difficult by the temperature requirements for storing the Pfizer - BioNTech vaccine.
“NHS Public Health Directorate and the Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership teams are working extremely hard planning the details of how this mammoth exercise will be undertaken over the coming months.”
Cllr Drysdale added: “Please continue to remember the FACTS, including - and indeed especially - at Christmas.
“So that is, wear Face coverings, Avoid crowded places, Clean your hands regularly, keep Two-metre distance, and Self-isolate and book a test if you have symptoms.”
The IJB chair also called for anyone eligible for the flu vaccine who has not already been vaccinated to do so at special clinics in Perth, Blairgowrie and Pitlochry this weekend.
He added: “I would urge anyone worried about attending medical appointments, please don’t be.
“You will be very safely looked after.”