First COVID-19 vaccinations planned to start at Western Isles Hospital this week

It has been widely reported that the first COVID-19 vaccinations have taken place in the UK this week. 

The vaccine, developed by Pfizer and BioNTech which has been approved for use by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, is expected to be available in the Western Isles from Thursday, after an expected delivery of some vaccine supplies tomorrow (Wednesday). 

We would encourage everyone across the Western Isles to please bear with us and be patient as the vaccination programme gets underway. 

In the meantime, everyone is reminded to follow FACTS and the Scottish Government guidance for the Western isles (Protection Level 1) to protect yourselves and others from the virus, as the first eligible groups are prioritised.  

All Health Boards in Scotland will be receiving a set amount of vaccine this week and Boards will commence the programme by offering vaccination to the identified priority groups in line with advice received from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). 

Those in the first wave to be vaccinated will be (in no particular order): 

• Vaccinators, including peer vaccinators  
• Staff in care homes for older people  
• Residents in care homes for older people  
• Long stay hospital inpatients aged over 80 
• Frontline healthcare staff (based on a risk assessment, taking into account those working in COVID red areas and COVID age). 

The vaccination for priority groups as described will be made available throughout the Western Isles. 

Appointments for vaccinators, identified frontline healthcare staff and care home staff based in Lewis and Harris will take place in Stornoway from Thursday this week. Those eligible will be contacted directly if they have been identified as being eligible in the first wave of the vaccination programme. 

The Pfizer vaccine needs to be stored at well below freezing point, meaning logistics around delivery to care homes and to the Uists and Barra require careful planning and coordination. It is anticipated that vaccinations in the Uists and Barra will commence from next week, and vaccinators will also start vaccinating in all care homes across the Western Isles from next week. 

The COVID-19 vaccine does not cause COVID-19. It helps to build up your immunity to the virus, so your body will fight it off more easily if it affects you. This can reduce your risk of developing COVID-19 or, if you do get COVID-19, it can make the symptoms milder. The vaccine is also suitable for people with disorders of the immune system. The effectiveness and immune response of the vaccine is being monitored as the vaccine is rolled out.  

The vaccine will be given as an injection in the upper arm. During vaccination, strict infection prevention and control measures will be in place. It will only take a few minutes to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Everyone being vaccinated will need two doses, 28 days apart.  

Information on the vaccine will be provided to those invited for appointments. 

NHS Western Isles Chief Executive, Gordon Jamieson, said: “Seeing the first delivery of COVID-19 vaccines in our area will be a very welcome sight.  While it will be a huge logistical challenge in rolling out vaccination, this is real progress in global efforts to bring an end to the pandemic. 

“I’d urge those eligible in this first wave to take-up the COVID-19 vaccine and for others to please be patient as we work through priority groups in line with the vaccine that we have available to us and the settings in which the vaccine needs to be delivered. 

“I would also ask people to keep following the FACTS around coronavirus. There is still a long winter ahead of us so protect yourself, your loved ones and the NHS.” 

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “This is the best news than any of us have heard about the virus since the pandemic began.  

“Safety of the vaccine is paramount, with each vaccine passing a rigorous and independent three-phase testing process, reviewed by independent regulatory and advisory bodies to ensure it is effective and safe for use.   

“The global scientific, research and pharmaceutical community has come together and worked as never before. That is why we are seeing this front running vaccine delivered in months rather than years, but it is not at the expense of safety.” 

“For all the difficulties that lie ahead, the arrival of the first vaccine should give us all real hope that the end of the pandemic is on the horizon.” 

For further information on the COVID-19 vaccination programme visit https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/immunisation/vaccines/coronavirus-covid-19-vaccine