Vulnerable Aberdeen residents have left fearing they could be forced to travel miles outside the city for their next Covid jabs, as a result of a computer “glitch”.
There have been reports of some people being assigned multiple unlabelled vaccination appointments, leaving them at a loss as to why or what they could be for.
This has included some at the former John Lewis department store in Aberdeen, and others at Stonehaven Town Hall, 15 miles away.
A coronavirus vaccine booster programme is currently being rolled out, coinciding with this year’s flu jab, being offered to over-70s and other “high risk” adults.
‘Utterly confused’
One woman, who did not want to be named, said: “My friend called me because she’d been given two appointments – one in Aberdeen and one in Stonehaven.
“She was utterly confused because normally she’d get her winter flu jab at her local GP surgery, so didn’t want to have to go all the way to Stonehaven for it.
“I logged on to the vaccine status website to check and I also was booked in for two appointments – one in the old John Lewis building on October 18 and the other in Stonehaven on October 27.”
It is understood a technical glitch with the national vaccination appointment system took place overnight, causing some to be scheduled double appointments, often in different venues.
It is not known exactly how many people have been affected by the error, which is currently being fixed by developers.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said they are aware of an issue and people can expect new appointments to be scheduled in the next 24 hours.
‘Biggest flu vaccination programme in Scotland’s history’
People over the age of 70 and those at highest risk from Covid-19 will soon receive an invitation for a booster vaccination.
The booster programme was announced in the summer, starting with care home residents, but the next group is set to see appointments go ahead from next week.
Invitations for #coronavirus booster jabs are now being issued to people in Scotland:
🔹 Aged 70 and over
🔹 Aged 16 and over who are at highest risk
We've also published an updated vaccination strategy for autumn and winter.
Read more ➡ https://t.co/ZqgXseJKv3 pic.twitter.com/iZKcYhYWAg
— Scot Gov Health (@scotgovhealth) September 30, 2021
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said a total of 7.5 million doses of vaccine – for both Covid and flu – are due to be given over the coming months.
The booster rollout will sit alongside what Mr Yousaf claims is the biggest flu vaccination programme in the country’s history, but there is no set finishing date for the third dose of Covid-19 vaccine to be administered.