Today NHS Lanarkshire marks two years since we offered local residents their first COVID-19 vaccine.

Since then nearly 1.8 million doses of the vaccine have been administered in Lanarkshire and more than 14.5 million doses being administered across Scotland.

The success of the programme is down to our staff and volunteers who signed up to help at the start of the programme and two years on our staff are still working tirelessly to not only offer the Covid-19 vaccine but a host of other vital vaccines including the flu, pneumococcal, shingles to name a few.

However, this winter we are expecting to see a significant rise in cases of influenza.  This is already evident in other countries such as Australia which has already experienced waves of infection this year.

This in combination with the ongoing circulation of Covid-19 provides even more reasons for the importance of receiving our winter vaccinations when they are offered and as we approach the festive season now is the perfect time to get the winter flu and Covid booster.  By getting vaccinated you can top up your protection and reduce the risk of becoming seriously unwell from the virus.

Toby Tipper, General Manager, Covid Vaccination Programme – NHS Lanarkshire said:  “Our staff deserve a massive thank you for all their hard work over the last two years providing the Covid-19 vaccines and now the flu vaccine to people across Lanarkshire.

“The past two years have been extremely challenging for everyone and the reality is that Covid-19 is still circulating and it can spread more easily during the winter months. So if you are eligible and you have not had your vaccine yet please call into one of our drop in clinics and help reduce the risk of severe illness as Covid is still a very serious infectious disease.”

You can find out information on all our drop in clinics on our website at https://www.nhslanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk/vaccinations/