THE biggest vaccination programme in Scotland to protect the population against Covid-19 is underway.

Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board will be delivering the programme in Glasgow and surrounding areas.

As they work their way through the priority groups set out by the UK Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) they will need to deliver two doses of the vaccine to around 200,000 people in Glasgow city to meet the aim of protecting everyone over 50 and those classes as clinically vulnerable.

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Elderly residents in care homes have had the first dose, as have thousands of staff and the over 80s are now getting the jag.

There are around 23,200 people aged 80 and above including almost 4000 aged 90 and over.

Below are the questions we asked the health board on how the vaccination programme would be rolled out in Glasgow and the answers we received in full.

How many vaccinators will NHSGGC require to deliver the programme? How many are currently employed by NHSGGC and how many will need to be recruited?

We are using a wide range of staff to deliver vaccinations mainly as an alternative to their usual jobs with additional staff working via our bank system.

455 people have already been recruited and a further 646 applications are in the process of being finalised.

The number of staff needed will vary at each stage of the programme due to changing factors such as the number of people requiring vaccinations at any given time.

Where will the vaccinators be recruited from and what qualification level will they require to have?

Vaccinators are required to be a registered health care professional such as a doctor, dentist, nurse or pharmacist and then undertake vaccine specific training.

Plans are underway nationally to develop the role of a wider group of staff to administer vaccines under the supervision of a registered professional.

How will people be contacted to tell them where and when they will receive the vaccine?

Members of the public aged 80 years and over will be notified by their GP by letter or phone.

In future, people will receive a letter advising them of the date and location of their vaccination appointment. All households in Scotland have received a national leaflet advising them of this.

Where will people be vaccinated? What venues have been identified in Glasgow as vaccination centres?

At this stage of the programme, we are vaccinating members of the public aged 80 years and over either in their own home, care home or at their GP surgery or other clinic arranged through the HSCP.

Eligible staff are being vaccinated at their nearest hospital or the Louisa Jordan Hospital.

Additional facilities are being identified and secured. A review of potential additional venues is currently underway.

Will people be expected to queue for their vaccination appointment? How will it be ensured people are not queueing outdoors waiting for vaccination?

Members of the public will receive an appointment with details of where to go and at what time, so we can vaccinate people in line with COVID guidance on social distancing.

If people are shielding or are unable to travel to a GP or vaccination centre will they be able to be vaccinated at home?

For those who are registered as housebound, they will have the opportunity to be vaccinated in their own home.

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People who are shielding are still able to attend medical appointments and will be vaccinated in line with Scottish Government guidance.

How long will a vaccination appointment take?

We expect each appointment to take between five and ten minutes.

How many people are in each of the JCVI priority categories in the NHSGGC area?

Current plans are to vaccinate around 100,000 people in the initial cohorts (staff, patients aged over 80 years etc) with the next cohorts totalling around 400,000 people.

What is the timescale for delivering the vaccine to each of the priority groups in the NHSGGC area?

We are rolling out the vaccination programme in line with current projections of vaccine supply.

When is it anticipated that all over 80s in the NHSGGC area will be vaccinated? When is it anticipated all over 65s will be vaccinated?

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At this stage, we expect all eligible people who wish to receive the COVID vaccine, aged 80 years and above to have been invited to attend an appointment, which should take place by the end of January.

The timescale for later cohorts has not yet been agreed, with all timescales dependent on vaccine delivery.

Can you confirm the duration of the interval between the first and second dose of the vaccine?

We are vaccinating in line with Scottish Government guidance, which is up to 12 weeks between doses.

How many vaccinations are planned to be carried out each day/week?

This will vary at each stage of the programme. At this stage we are vaccinating around 20,000 people per week and in February are aiming for 80,000 a week.

What would you say to Glasgow Times readers who are worried that the vaccine isn’t being rolled out quickly enough?

Our teams are working tirelessly to administer the vaccine to as many people as possible, as quickly as possible. We are vaccinating our staff and members of the public in line with JCVI and Scottish Government guidance concerning eligibility criteria and we are making significant progress in line with this.

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We are the first Health Board in Scotland to have completed the first dose of the vaccine in elderly care homes and we have commenced the roll-out of vaccinations to members of the public aged 80 years and over, via GP surgeries.

What are you doing to address your staff’s concerns about the vaccine roll-out?

We are rolling out vaccinations in line with JCVI and Scottish Government guidance. We have already vaccinated over 22,000 members of staff with a further 11,500 appointments booked. We would like to reassure our staff that those who are eligible will have the opportunity to be vaccinated in the coming weeks.