Flu jags and Covid boosters set to start in Fife

Those Fifers aged 80 and over will be amongst the first to be offered appointments in the Kingdom.

Thousands of people are hospitalised with flu in Scotland every year and vaccination remains the safest and most effective way to protect yourself.

And with rates of Covid-19 remaining particularly high, health chiefs say it’s more important than ever to get vaccinated.

Those considered to be most clinically vulnerable, and those people who are 80 and over, will be the first groups to be contacted in the coming weeks to invite them to attend for vaccination.

Those who are housebound will be visited at home by NHS Fife’s vaccination team.

NHS Fife has said those who are eligible for a Covid-19 booster will also be able to receive this at the same appointment as their flu jab as long as it is at least six months since their second dose.

The first appointments are scheduled to take place in mid-October.

Dr Esther Curnock, NHS Fife’s deputy director of public health, said: “Flu can be a very serious illness, particularly amongst older people and those with underlying health conditions.

“Vaccination remains the safest and most effective way to help protect against both flu and Covid-19 and appointments take a matter of minutes.

“Those aged 80 and over and those at greatest clinical risk will begin being contacted soon to invite them to attend an appointment for vaccination, and this will be carried out either at their local GP surgery or in a community venue as close to the practice as possible.

“We want to ensure people most at risk of the effects of these viruses have the maximum available protection ahead of winter and so we’re urging everyone who is offered vaccination to take up that offer.”

Patients are reminded not to call their GP practice for updates to enable those requiring urgent assessment to be seen as quickly as possible.

Fifers will be prioritised in line with guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

For more information on the joint Covid-19 booster and winter flu immunisation campaign in Fife, visit: www.nhsfife.org/fvcv.

Thank you for reading this article on our free-to-read website. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

Please consider purchasing a subscription to our print newspaper to help fund our trusted, fact-checked journalism.

https://www.localsubsplus.co.uk/nord/dm/FFP/V