COVID in Fife: 80,000 vaccine appointments available in booster programme

Following the rapid acceleration of the COVID booster programme announced by Scottish Government, clinic capacity in the Kingdom has been increased by 70% with around 78,000 appointments being offered between now and the first week in January.

The additional capacity has been made possible by drafting in clinical staff from other services, with the space available within venues due to a reduction in the observation time people are required to wait after vaccination.

Health bosses have described the change in pace as “challenging” - but are pleased with the response from the public.

Since going live on the national booking portal, some 23,000 new appointments have been booked this week so far.

While this means there is limited availability into the early part of next week, there continues to be tens of thousands of appointments available over the course of the next three weeks in clinics across Fife.

Lisa Cooper, immunisation project director in Fife, said: “The task to rapidly accelerate the pace of the vaccination programme has been really challenging.

“However, due to the hard work and flexibility of our staff we have been able to increase the numbers of appointments at our clinics by 70%.

“The response from people in Fife over the last few days has been really encouraging, and we are seeing thousands of appointments being booked each day.

“But, there continues to be literally tens of thousands of appointments available at venues across Fife between now and the first week in January.”

Lisa added: “Some times and clinics are more popular than others and so we are asking those who haven’t yet booked to look for appointments not just at the closest clinic, but also other clinics nearby.

“We are continually monitoring the availability of appointments, and we are working to make additional capacity available in those areas where the demand is at its greatest.”

Anyone aged 18 and over requiring a first, second or booster dose of the COVID vaccine is being encouraged to book a vaccination appointment as soon as possible.

Similarly, young people aged 12 and over requiring a first dose and those aged 16 or 17 requiring a first or second dose, are also invited to book an appointment for vaccination.

There are also a number of drop-in clinics available across the Kingdom for those aged 40 and over requiring a booster, along with those considered clinically vulnerable, and where no appointment is necessary.

With significant demand anticipated at drop-in clinics in Fife, those planning to attend are being reminded that queuing is likely and there may be a wait to be seen, with booked appointments given priority.

Added Lisa: “Booking an appointment in advance will make it less likely that you will be required to wait, and helps us with our planning, enabling us to ensure we have the correct staffing and supplies in place in each venue to deliver the significant volumes of vaccinations we are at present.”

More info:

www.nhsfife.org/vaccination

To book an appointment www.vacs.nhs.scot or call the national booking helpline on 0800 030 8013.

Drop-in clinics www.nhsfife.org/dropinclinics

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