Tag: booster programme

NHS Lothian to reopen EICC as mass vaccination centre

NHS Lothian will re-launch a city centre mass vaccination centre as part of the battle to beat the OMICRON variant of COVID-19.

Vaccination teams will move back into the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) to open on Tuesday at 9am (December 21) to help provide lifesaving vaccines to as many people as possible.

The clinic will offer a combination of booked and drop-in appointments to help make it as easy for people to get their booster.

Just a month ago, on November 16, the programme was delivering 5,500 booster vaccines. Now a total of 10,942 doses are being administered in one day.

NHS Lothian is confident that the reintroduction of the EICC and opening of the Corn Exchange in East Lothian will help boost that figure even higher.

Pat Wynne, Nurse Director, Primary and Community Care, NHS Lothian, said: “Vaccination is more important now than it has ever been and we are really pleased to be back in the EICC in the heart of the city once more.

“We would urge anyone who still needs a first, second or booster dose of the vaccine to make an appointment or drop in to the EICC or one of the many other clinics in Lothian as soon as they are eligible.

“The best way to get your vaccine is to book in advance, using the online booking portal. That way you can avoid queues and help keep everyone safe.

“We are expecting our sites, especially our dedicated drop-in clinics, to be busier than ever before. We will run separate queues for booked and drop-in appointments, but people should be prepared to wait if they are attending a drop-in. If you do have to queue, please be sure to wear a face mask over your mouth and nose and keep your distance – even if you’re outside.”

Vaccination teams have been working flat out with EICC team to prepare the clinic for a re-opening as part of the nationwide effort to help protect lives.

Marshall Dallas, CEO of the EICC, said: “We are proud to continue to support NHS Lothian and NHS Scotland with the roll-out of the vaccine and now the vaccine booster.

“Traditionally, our venue would be closed over the Festive period, allowing our team annual leave during this time, so I can’t credit our people enough for giving up their holiday time to be on site at the venue to make this possible.  

“Since re-opening to events in August, we have safely and successfully hosted a series of back-to-back conferences, and we look forward to welcoming delegates back to the EICC early in the new year.”  

A total of 15 vaccination stations will run in the Cromdale Hall initially while more work is done to extend the facility to provide 25 booths. The rest of the venue, including the Lennox Suite, will continue as normal for conference and events.

Mr Wynne added: “We are grateful to all of the teams from the EICC for working with us once again and helping to pull this together at such short notice. Centre staff would normally be on annual leave soon and they have cancelled their holidays over the festive period just to help re-launch the clinic – we could not be more thankful.”

The EICC will join a list of other vaccination centres, which are being run by the four Health and Social Care Partnerships within Lothian, and is designed to bolster those efforts.

Steps to accelerate booster programme in Scotland

Online portal extended and changes to flu delivery

A range of measures are being introduced to speed up the COVID-19 booster programme, and give protection against the spreading Omicron variant.

The online booking portal will be open to everyone aged 18-29 from 10am this morning, allowing this age group to book booster appointments through the NHS Inform website.

Appointments are being added to the online portal daily and COVID-19 vaccination capacity is being increased over the festive period.

In order to increase the number of appointments, there will also be a prioritisation of booster vaccines over the remainder of the flu programme. This means anyone who is under the age of 65, or not in one of the high risk groups, will receive their COVID-19 booster only. This group will instead be able to get their flu vaccine in the New Year.

In line with advice from the four UK Chief Medical Officers, and in order to improve the flow of people through vaccination centres, people will no longer have to wait 15 minutes after receiving an MRNA vaccine. Instead, in Scotland the programme clinical governance group has recommended there is an observation period of five minutes, reflecting guidance from the Resuscitation Council.

Also, all NHS board areas are working to increase the availability of drop-in clinics –  with a particular focus on the over 40s – and to identify larger sites that can be brought online in the coming weeks.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “The most important thing we can all do to protect ourselves and others from COVID-19 is to get our vaccinations and boosters when eligible. The vaccines we have are highly effective and safe and I urge anyone who is eligible and not yet vaccinated to book an appointment.

“There is a massive national effort underway to ensure that all adults will be able to book a booster appointment before the end of the year. The steps announced by the First Minister today – which are proportionate and based on clinical advice – will help us towards that goal.

“Scotland already has the highest vaccination rate of all UK nations for first, second and third doses and we continue to follow clinical advice from the JCVI on offering booster jags through age cohorts in descending order to ensure maximum benefit.

“Demand for boosters may mean you may have to wait in a queue at drop-in centres but we urge everyone to be patient. We have plenty of supplies and are working with Health Boards to maximise vaccination capacity as quickly and safely as we possibly can.

“The emergence of the Omicron variant means it is also particularly important that we continue to take all precautions to prevent transmission. So test regularly for the virus, particularly before socialising and meeting up with others from outside your household, wear face marks where required and open windows to improve ventilation.”

To use the online portal, individuals will need their unique vaccination username which can be found on any previous appointment letter.

If this is not readily available, it can be located or reset at NHS Inform’s “recover username” page.

Those without online access, can book an appointment through the National Helpline 0800 030 8013.

Appeal for more vaccinators

Jason Leitch rolls up his sleeeves

Scotland’s National Clinical Director Jason Leitch is becoming a vaccinator and is encouraging more people to enrol to help accelerate the national booster jab programme.

Since 19 November, the equivalent of 300 full-time additional staff (more than 1000 individuals) have joined the national vaccination effort and health boards are actively recruiting to create extra capacity.

Following the most recent advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) everyone aged 18 and over who is eligible will be offered a slot for the booster jab by the end of January. Currently those aged 40-49 are invited to make an appointment through the online portal or the national helpline, from 12 weeks after their second dose. The national programme is also delivering second doses to 16 and 17 years olds.

Professor Leitch said: “I am pleased to join the fantastic team at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and look forward to helping administer booster jabs to adults and second doses to 16 and 17 years olds as we continue to protect Scotland’s population as quickly as possible.

“To be a small part of this national mission is a real privilege. It also gives me the opportunity to thank the clinical teams and volunteers who have got us this far.

“This has been the biggest immunisation programme in the history of the NHS and the hard work and commitment shown by health boards and vaccination teams across Scotland means we have the highest vaccination rate for people aged 12 and over of all UK nations for first, second and boosters/third doses and the winter vaccination programme has already delivered more than 2 million booster and third doses to the most vulnerable groups, covering 45% of the adult population (aged 18+).

However, we would warmly welcome any former NHS employees and of course, they will receive full training before giving any vaccines. I’ll be helping when I can alongside my main role.

“Even a shift a week will help, so if you’re a dentist, a nurse, an optometrist or a doctor and you can help us then please contact your local health board. Every vaccine dose given is another step out of the pandemic. If you don’t have a clinical background, it’s not a problem, you can still assist the programme in another capacity through the British Red Cross.

“We have accepted the JCVI’s updated recommendations and aim to offer the booster vaccine to everyone aged 18 or older who is eligible by the end of January, and we would love some more vaccinators to join our incredibly national programme to assist us through this particularly busy period.”

Vaccination Programme Director at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Anne Harkness said: “In the last year, our vaccination team at NHSGGC have administered more than 2.1 million jags, working with the public to protect our communities.

“We are continuing to build our pool of vaccinators and we are delighted to welcome Jason to the vaccination team and wish him – and all the new recruits – well.”

People who wish to apply to become a vaccinator can find more information at NHS Scotland

Volunteers who are not currently involved in COVID response, or other critical work, who would be interested in assisting the COVID response generally and the vaccine programme in particular, can find out more by emailing:

Covid_19ResponseScotland@redcross.org.uk