Fife launches 12 COVID community vaccine centres

NHS Fife has been assessing possible locations since the autumn, and has confirmed a dozen are set to become operational.

They are:

Parkgate Community Centre, Rosyth

East End Park, Dunfermline

Dunfermline East Church

The Lochgelly Centre

Templehall Community Centre, Kirkcaldy

Randolph Wemyss Memorial Hospital, Buckhaven

Rothes Halls, Glenrothes

Cupar Corn Exchange

East Neuk Centre, Anstruther

The Larick Centre, Tayport

St Andrews Community Hospital

Tayside Institute Community Centre, Newburgh.

An additional site in west Fife is also planned, with the venue due to be confirmed in the coming days.

The clinics will open on a phased basis, with the first site offering appointments on February 1.

Vaccinations will be by appointment only, with patients sent letters by order of their priority group.

Scott Garden, director of pharmacy and medicines,, said: ““We have been overwhelmed by the number of kind and generous offers we have received to host potential vaccinations clinics.

“A considerable amount of work has been carried out over recent months to thoroughly assess potential sites to ensure that they are suitable to host large vaccination clinics, taking into account accessibility, transport links and whether the necessary physical distancing requirements could be achieved.

“Our sincerest thanks go to all of those organisations who offered us the use of their facilities.”

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Mr Garden said Fife was still seeing “considerable levels of COVID-19” in its communities and added: “The development of our network of community COVID-19 clinics is another important step in helping us to reduce the transmission of the virus.

“The scale of the COVID-19 vaccination programme cannot be underestimated – it is truly unprecedented.

“Establishing this network of large community venues should enable us to deliver a programme of this size and scale in a timely manner, whilst enabling our medical practices to continue to deliver the vital local healthcare services that people rely on."He added: “As ever, we ask for the continued patience of local people as we roll out the vaccination programme. The programme in Fife is already moving at considerable pace and will likely accelerate in the coming weeks and months as the supply of vaccine improves.”