NHSGGC Vaccination Programme Update

13 February 2021

NHS13 GGC has vaccinated over 250,000 people since the start of December, including frontline health and social care workers, people aged 65 and older, individuals who are clinically extremely vulnerable and elderly care home residents.  These priority groups have all been vaccinated in line with national targets. 
 
To date, we have been in a position to move at pace due to the availability of the vaccine, meaning that we will also meet the target of offering a first vaccination to most people over the age of 65 by mid-February. People who have been unable to attend their GP or a community clinic are still being contacted.
 
As the First Minister has now confirmed, supplies of the vaccine have been affected by a “temporary reduction” in Pfizer’s manufacturing capacity, with Scotland having received slightly lower stocks of the vaccine than expected.
 
We are adjusting our programme in line with this. From next week, we will be starting to administer each older adult care home resident with their second dose of the vaccine.  We will prioritise administering the second dose to our staff. We will also continue to run vaccination clinics but with reduced appointments and our vaccination clinics will run over fewer days.
 
Once the supply of the vaccine increases, we are in a strong position to rapidly accelerate the programme once again. 
 
We understand the anxiety that may be caused by a slowing of the vaccination programme and we are sorry for this.  We would like to reassure members of the public that we will be able to increase vaccination appointments as soon as stocks are received. 
 
There are a small number of patients who have been unable to attend this week due to adverse weather conditions and arrangements are in hand to reschedule these patients, and to finalise arrangements for the appointments schedule going forward. 

For more information, contact http://www.nhsggc.net