Fife COVID mass vaccination centre to close after over 50,000 jags

Fife College’s Carnegie Conference Centre will cease its role on September 19 after hosting almost 53,000 vaccinations in the last four months.

Opened in April, the vaccination site was set-up after the college offered use of the centre free-of-charge to assist with the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine.

NHS Fife will move to a new vaccination clinic in the Kingsgate Shopping Centre in Dunfermline.

Since opening, tens of thousands of people from across Fife have received their vaccinations at the centre, along with many hundreds of cruise ship workers docked at the port of Rosyth.

Some Fife College students even helped in the centre after those studying healthcare were encouraged to sign up as vaccinators.

Ahead of its closure NHS Fife thanked Fife College for making their facilities available.

Dr Hugh Hall, Fife College principal said: “Everyone at the college was eager to make sure that we played our part in the ongoing vaccination programme.

"I've always seen the college as having a key role to play in the Fife community, and we're all pleased to have done what we can to help during this difficult time."

Janette Owens, NHS Fife director of nursing said the clinic had “played a really important role in the COVID-19 vaccination programme in Fife.”

She added: “It also enabled many nursing students at the college to gain vital frontline experience working as vaccinators, which I'm sure will prove to be particularly valuable in their future careers as healthcare professionals."

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