Mass vaccination clinics this weekend

NHS Western Isles is holding a range of Mass Vaccination Clinics this weekend across the Western Isles. 

Three COVID booster and Flu Drop-in Clinics will be held on Friday 3, Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 December in the Dark Island Hotel on Benbecula between 9am and 4pm. The clinic on Friday will be open to anyone aged 50 or over and the Saturday and Sunday clinics will open up to anyone aged 40 or over.  

We are also opening up the Dark Island clinics to anyone aged 16 or over who is due a second dose of the COVID vaccination (those aged 18 and over can receive a second dose eight weeks after their first dose. 16 and 17 year olds must wait 12 weeks after their first dose to receive a second dose).  

COVID booster and Flu Drop-in clinics are being held in the Western Isles Hospital in Stornoway on Thursday 2, Friday 3, Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 December for anyone aged 40 or over. The Thursday clinic will be between 12.30pm and 4.30pm and will resume for an evening clinic between 5.30pm and 7.30pm.The Friday clinic will be an afternoon clinic from 12.30pm until 4.30pm. On Saturday and Sunday, the clinics will be open from 9am until 4pm.  

On Barra, COVID booster and Flu Drop-in clinics will be held on Saturday and Sunday in the Barra Learning Centre (10.30am – 4pm on Saturday and 9am – 4pm on Sunday) for anyone aged 40 or over. 

All of our COVID booster and Flu Drop-in clinics are also open to unpaid carers, those with an underlying health condition that puts them at additional risk, individuals who live in a household where someone is immunosuppressed and NHS and frontline social care workers. 

There are also clinic opportunities this weekend for individuals aged 16 or over  to drop-in for a 1^st or 2^nd dose vaccination. On Friday, there is a 1^st/2^nd dose drop-in opportunity at Western Isles Hospital between 5.30pm and 7.30pm. (The Dark Island Drop-in Clinic on Friday is open for second doses for anyone aged 16 or over). 

On Saturday, there is a drop-in opportunity for 1^st/2^nd doses in Barra Learning Centre between 9am and 10am (and again the Dark Island Drop-in Clinics on Saturday and Sunday are open for second doses for anyone aged 16 or over). 

NHS Western Isles Chief Executive, Gordon Jamieson, said: “Boosters are just as important as the initial vaccinations. Six months after the second dose, immunity levels wane with increasing risk of further infection. The booster dose improves your level of protection significantly and is the best way to protect your health and those around you. We encourage all those eligible to attend one of our drop-in clinics. 

“While vaccination is vital in our fight against COVID-19, we also encourage everyone to continue to follow mitigations such as regular self-testing, particularly before socialising and meeting up with others people from outside your household; continuing to wear face marks; washing your hands regularly and following effective respiratory hygiene measures; and opening windows to improve ventilation. To prevent spread in our communities, it’s also important that you self-isolate and arrange a PCR test if you develop any COVID symptoms.”