Health boards across the north and north-east are offering new venues for people to get their flu or Covid booster vaccines over the festive period.
A total of 16 community pharmacies across NHS Grampian will be converted into weekend vaccination clinics in the run-up to Christmas to allow more people to get their jabs.
All adults over the age of 60, as well as those with underlying health conditions between the ages of 16 and 49, will be able to book an appointment at the venues from next week.
Frontline health and social care workers, unpaid and young carers and household contacts of immunosuppressed individuals will also be eligible for a jab.
The community clinics will be open for appointments until December 19 and run alongside the large vaccination centres currently in operation in the north-east.
These include five clinics in Aberdeen, 10 in Aberdeenshire and one in Moray.
Need for ‘more severe’ restrictions in the north-east?
It comes after NHS Grampian public health consultant Derek Cox recommended “more severe” Covid restrictions for the area due to a rapid surge in cases in Aberdeen and Moray.
He said: “Again, we really need to be urging people to be aware that this problem has not gone away.
“For example, the AstraZeneca vaccine’s efficiency at stopping you from getting the infection is down to about 44%.
“It’s certainly conceivable if the immunity levels start to fall off and we continue to have community spread of Covid, we could get into a six-monthly or annual round of immunisations.
“All the precautions that we were advocating a year ago, we continue to advocate them today.”
People who are eligible and wish to book an appointment for their vaccine are asked to get in touch with the relevant pharmacy directly.
Meanwhile, NHS Highland is piloting a new online portal enabling people to book their Covid booster jab or flu vaccine at specific locations.
1/2#Inverness will be piloting online portal clinics enabling people to book in for their Booster and/or flu vaccine.
The clinics will be trialled for two days, 26 and 27 November, at Smithton Church.
They are available to book via the portal here – https://t.co/FRJJhswZ4E pic.twitter.com/cCLTgD26DY
— NHS Highland (@NHSHighland) November 19, 2021
The scheme will be trialled on November 26 and 27 at Smithton Church in Inverness. If it proves to be successful, more venues in other locations will be added to the portal.
Full list of community pharmacies
Aberdeen City
- King Street – Webster’s
- Union Street, Peterculter, Kingswells – Michie’s
- Hilton – Webster’s
Aberdeenshire
- Fraserburgh – Baird’s
- New Deer – Webster’s
- Laurencekirk – Michie’s
- Stonehaven – Michie’s
- Peterhead – Webster’s
- Kemnay – Webster’s
- Ellon – Rowlands
- Buchanhaven – Rowlands
- Aberchirder – Rowlands
- Banff – Baird’s
Moray
- Cullen pharmacy