First Covid-19 booster clinic confirmed for Aviemore
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
NHS Highland health chiefs have confirmed that Covid-19 booster and winter flu jags are to be offered in Aviemore.
NHSH has said it will be delivering the programme at Aviemore Medical Practice for all those eligible but have yet to confirm dates.
The first of these has just been confirmed for November 15-18 from 9am to 4pm at the village's health centre for those aged over 70 and those who are clinically extremely vulnerable
The announcement comes after growing concerns and confusion in the village over the absence of vaccination clinics.
NHSH will be running the clinic and not Aviemore GP practice.
The village's health centre delivered the first two Covid vaccination programmes but is not running clinics for boosters nor for flu this winter.
An NHS Highland spokesman said: "The uptake of the Covid vaccine programme in NHS Highland has been excellent and we fully appreciate that many are now keen to get their Covid booster and their flu vaccination.
"In Badenoch and Strathspey NHS Highland will be delivering the following vaccination clinics for these GP practices –Aviemore Medical Practice for flu for adults and Covid and at Grantown Medical Practice for Covid and flu clinics for over 65-year-olds and those clinically vulnerable and at risk.
"Eligible patients with these practices will be invited by letter or asked to call the Vaccination Hub.
"Appointments can also be rescheduled via the NHS Highland Vaccination Hub.
"Please only call the Hub if you have been asked to...
"We know patients have experienced difficulty in getting through to the Vaccination Hub.
"The software issues experienced at the beginning of this programme have been resolved and we are pleased to say that an appeal for more colleagues to assist the Hub Team has resulted in offers of support which will help us in operating these phone lines.
"We will roll out vaccination over the coming weeks, prioritising the over 70s, the clinically extremely vulnerable and the severely immuno-suppressed and working through other eligible groups."
Covid-19 Booster clinics have been scheduled for November 9-11 at Inverallan Hall for patients of Grantown Medical Practice.
Clinics for Aviemore Medical Practice patients aged over 70 and those who are clinically extremely vulnerable will be held at Aviemore Medical Practice between November 15 and 18.
Patients will be invited by letter.
Kingussie and Gergask medical practices are running both Covid booster and winter flu clinics for their patients.
The spokesman said he expected that Covid and winter flu jags would also be made available at some point to all eligible patients in Grantown but was unable to confirm this.
He added: "Further clinics will be scheduled and we will issue information to the media and via our website and social media when they have been set up.
"The majority of patients will be invited by letter for the remaining clinics.
"We will continue to assess the demand for vaccination and, if required, schedule in more local clinics."
All the latest up-to-date information on the delivery of the Covid-19 booster and winter flu vaccines can be found here
