Patience required as vaccine programme progresses

People waiting on Covid boosters and flu jabs are being asked to be patient as clinics across the region work hard to deliver the exceptionally high quantity of vaccinations.

NHS Highland says uptake of the Covid vaccine has been excellent and that it is progressing with the booster and flu vaccination programme which runs until December. Vaccinations are currently being delivered through NHS Highland clinics, GPs and school nurses, with further support from community pharmacies, the Scottish Ambulance Service and others due to the complexity and speed required.

Dr Tim Allison, NHS Highland’s director of public health, said: ‘The vaccine programme in NHS Highland has been a great success, with hundreds of thousands of vaccinations being delivered across a large, remote area. The first phase was not without challenges but we must praise our vaccination teams, those behind the scenes and the general public for embracing it the way they did.

‘This next phase, which will see us delivering more vaccinations than ever before, will be challenging.

‘Not only do we have a larger number of people requiring vaccination, we also have a population that has gone back to work or school and will not find it as easy to attend clinics.

‘Clinic plans are kept under constant review and all options to increase the amount of qualified staff available to carry out vaccinations are being considered. Please be assured we are working to vaccinate you as quickly as we can but we would ask for everyone’s patience as we work through our plans.’

Patients eligible for a booster should wait to be invited to clinics, rather than contact the hub about their appointment. More information can be found on the NHS Highland website.