Assurance given by NHS Highland on Covid vaccine stock
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An assurance has been given that GP practices across the NHS Highland area have been allocated enough stock of Covid-19 vaccines to meet national targets.
It follows concerns that the vaccination programme was being held back by a slow supply of vaccine. By the end of last week, more than 100,000 people in the health board area had received their first dose.
Details were given in the health board's latest Covid-19 update for key stakeholders, a copy of which has been seen by the John O'Groat Journal.
The document, dated February 25, stated that there were 15 inpatient cases in Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, plus six in the intensive treatment unit (ITU), and two in Argyll and Bute.
It reported that there had been 155 recorded deaths in the NHS Highland area since the start of the pandemic – 84 in Highland and 71 in Argyll and Bute.
The latest coronavirus infection rate was given as 46/100,000 across the health board area – 25/100,000 in Argyll and Bute and 54/100,000 in the northern part of the region.
The document said NHS Highland was continuing to vaccinate patients in line with government guidance.
It said the aim was to vaccinate all those aged over 65 by March 5. “We have given 100,216 people their first-dose vaccination, with approximately 27,000 being from Argyll and Bute and 73,000 from Highland,” the update said. “We are now starting second-dose vaccinations as well.”
It added: “You may have seen concerns reported recently that the vaccination programme is being adversely affected by slow supply of vaccine. We can reassure you that all GP practices have been allocated adequate stock to vaccinate their patients in line with the national target dates.
"Our programme has a Stock Allocation Group that meets weekly. This group has oversight of all of the stock that is allocated to NHS Highland and ensures that all 96 GP practices receive enough vaccine for each cohort. Wherever possible, we try to be flexible with stock allocations to accommodate GP practice clinic plans.
"The approach across practices varies, with some organising larger clinics, run less often, whilst others organise smaller clinics more regularly. Due to the way that stock is allocated, it is not possible for each practice to be at exactly the same point in the vaccination programme. Some will be slightly ahead of others and may therefore have a short gap between cohorts while others are catching up, but all practices are working towards the same target date for completion of each cohort."
