Our top teams of vaccinators are now out and about across Lanarkshire administering the Covid-19 booster and flu vaccination to care home residents and staff.
Hamilton’s Abercorn care home was the first in Scotland to receive the initial Covid-19 vaccination last December. Healthcare staff this week returned to add another layer of protection against Covid-19 and the flu.
Among the residents being seen was Annie Innes (91) who was the country’s first care home resident to receive the initial Covid-19 vaccine.
Eligible care home residents are being offered both the Covid-19 booster and flu vaccine following advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) that they could be given alongside one another as long as six months had passed between Covid-19 vaccinations.
Health and Social Care North Lanarkshire (HSCNL) is managing the care home vaccination programme and will vaccinate approximately 3,600 eligible care home residents and around 6,000 staff.
Annie Innes said: “It was a relief to get the Covid-19 vaccinations earlier in the year and it gives me and my friends in the home further reassurance to be getting more protection against Covid-19 and the flu.”
Sharon Murray, associate director of nursing (care home assurance and support), HSCNL, said: “It’s great to get the booster programme underway for Lanarkshire’s 96 care home residents. It will offer longer lasting protection against severe Covid-19 illness and also, importantly, the flu as the winter months get closer.
“Where possible, those eligible will be offered the Covid-19 booster and flu vaccine together. This is another important step in protecting individual, and wider public, protection against both of these viruses.
“Despite it being a very complex area of work, our staff have been excellent in meeting the challenges of storing and transporting the vaccines and this will enable us to carry out the vaccination programme very efficiently.
“This is a multi-faceted operation and we’re dedicated to ensuring residents and staff are prepared for our visits and have consented to receiving the booster and vaccination.”
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “I am delighted to see Mrs Innes receiving her Covid-19 booster injection after she became the first care home resident in Scotland to be vaccinated last December. The booster offers longer lasting protection against severe Covid-19 illness and I wish Mrs Innes many more years of good health.
“Mrs Innes also received her flu jab – the roll-out of Covid-19 boosters is running alongside our biggest ever flu vaccine programme as both of these programmes are important for individual and for public health and wherever possible, those eligible will be offered Covid-19 and flu vaccines together.
“This will be a busy time for our largest vaccination programme ever but I want to thank NHS Lanarkshire and all the boards for their continuing hard work in making this roll-out such a success.”
