NHS Lanarkshire accelerates Covid vaccine second doses

Second doses of the Covid-19 vaccine are to be brought forward from 12 to eight weeks by NHS Lanarkshire.

The health board said it is accelerating the roll-out of its vaccination programme to “get ahead of” any significant rise in cases.

Dr Mark Russell, lead for the Covid-19 vaccination programme in Lanarkshire, outlined the importance of people attending for both doses of the vaccine for longer lasting protection from the virus.

“To help get ahead of any significant rise in cases of the new covid-19 variant, we are accelerating the roll-out of our vaccination programme,” he said.

“For example, if you are due your second dose at the end of June or beginning of July, then your appointment will be brought forward to early to mid-June.

“From Monday, June 7, the number of people attending our vaccination centres will significantly increase. At the peak, we will be administering around 60,000 doses a week – this will be a combination of first doses for the younger age groups and second doses.

“Vaccination against Covid-19 has never been more important. To help continue on our road back to normality we need to make sure as many people as possible are vaccinated.

“It is also important to attend for both doses, for longer lasting protection.”

NHS Lanarkshire has asked members of the public not to turn up without an appointment, while those that have one should arrive as close to their appointment time as possible.

The board has also appealed for people to attend appointments on their own if they can, and to follow the signs and instructions from staff.

Dr Russell added: “We know that people have busy lives and the appointment offered may not be suitable. We have increased capacity at our centres to make it easier to reschedule your appointment to a more convenient time or place.

“You can do this online or by telephone – details are on your appointment letter. Also, make sure you cancel your appointment if you need to. This means that your appointment is then available for someone else to use and it is not wasted.

“We need to balance how we deal with the new variant of Covid-19 while continuing with the recovery of other NHS services. Attending for your vaccination reduces your risk of serious illness from covid-19 and therefore the impact on the NHS. We all need to play our part in getting back to the things we’ve missed.”