Fife unveils second mass vaccination centre

The location of Fife’s second mass COVID vaccination centre has been revealed.
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It will be set up at Fife College’s Carnegie Conference Centre in Dunfermline - and will begin operating next month.

The news comes just days after NHS Fife confirmed it had moved into the former M&S store in High Street, Kirkcaldy, creating the region’s single biggest mass vaccination centre.

Two more super centres have yet to be unveiled.

From left: NHS Fife Director of Nursing, Janette Owens; Fife College Student/ NHS Fife Vaccinator, Jenny Colling; and Principal of Fife College, Dr Hugh Hall.From left: NHS Fife Director of Nursing, Janette Owens; Fife College Student/ NHS Fife Vaccinator, Jenny Colling; and Principal of Fife College, Dr Hugh Hall.
From left: NHS Fife Director of Nursing, Janette Owens; Fife College Student/ NHS Fife Vaccinator, Jenny Colling; and Principal of Fife College, Dr Hugh Hall.
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The move into the conference centre came after Fife College offered the use of its facilities free of charge.

The venue has the size the health authority needs to handle significant numbers on a daily basis, and it also has good transport links, and dedicated parking facilities.

Dr Hugh Hall, college principal, said: “We were keen to support the vaccination effort in any way we could so we are delighted that part of our Carnegie Conference Centre has been chosen as a mass vaccination centre.

“The college is proud of the part we play in the local communities we serve throughout Fife and we are pleased to be able to support NHS Fife in the fantastic work they are doing.”

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Since early February 2021, a network of community COVID-19 clinics in Fife have been in operation, performing many thousands of immunisations each week.

More than 220,000 jags now having been administered, and with the likely completion of first doses for those in priority groups one to nine in the coming weeks, the programme is beginning to move into a new phase which will see all adults offered vaccination on a incremental basis over the coming months.

Janette Owens, director of nursing, said: “The COVID-19 vaccination programme is far and away the largest public health intervention the Kingdom has ever seen.

“With the first doses for those in our prioritised groups nearing completion, it’s vital that we look towards the vaccination of our wider adult population and this requires us to tailor our approach if we are to deliver the number of vaccines we are required to in timely manner.

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“Venues such as the Carnegie Conference Centre provide greater flexibility with sufficient space to enable us to scale up and down the programme dependent on vaccine supply.”

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