People with underlying health conditions and unpaid carers have begun to receive their COVID-19 vaccination as NHS Tayside moves into the next phase of the programme.
Almost 135,000 people have now been vaccinated in Tayside, which is around 38% of the adult population in Tayside. This means that NHS Tayside remains one of the top performing boards in Scotland in terms of population vaccinated.
The next people to be invited for vaccination are those aged 16-64 with underlying health conditions and adult unpaid carers. This is priority group 6 on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) prioritisation list. This is one of the largest groups on the priority list so it may take several weeks to complete invitations for the whole group. We have already started, but please be patient. If you are eligible, you will be receiving an invitation.
Who is eligible in these groups?
People who have conditions which are included in the JCVI list such as diabetes, dementia, severe asthma or COPD, certain cancers, or liver or kidney disease. It also includes those who have had an organ transplant, a stroke, have a learning disability, a BMI of more than 40, or are severely mentally ill.
Adults who provide unpaid face-to-face care for someone else due to a disability, ill-health, frailty or addiction issues.
How will they be invited?
In Tayside, people who are eligible in these groups will be called directly by their GP practice or the NHS Tayside booking teams to offer an appointment. People in Tayside will not receive a letter through the national appointment system.
Most people will be called from a local NHS Tayside phone number. However, occasionally it may show up as a private or mobile phone number. Please answer these calls if you can.
The first to be invited are people who have conditions which are included on both the JCVI priority list and the at-risk flu vaccination list. Although there is some overlap, the two lists are not exactly the same.
Unpaid carers who receive carers’ benefits or who have been identified by GPs will also be invited in the first stage.
Anyone who identifies as a carer but does not receive carers benefits, and who is not registered as a carer with their GP practice, will be invited to register at a later date using a national system. This is in line with arrangements across all of Scotland. Further information will follow when this is available.
What about the previous priority groups?
All those aged over 70 and those classed as clinically extremely vulnerable (shielding) should now have been offered a COVID-19 vaccination.
So far, 94% of people in Tayside who are 70-79 or are shielding and 79% of people aged 65-69 have also had a vaccination.
There is a small number of patients who our booking teams have not yet been able to reach in these groups despite best efforts.
Therefore, anyone aged 70-79 or who is shielding who hasn’t been contacted should now call their GP who will either offer an appointment in their own practice or will ensure they get vaccinated at their local community vaccination centre.
Anyone aged 65-69 who hasn’t been contacted yet should email tay.c19vaxlocalenquiries@nhs.scot or call 01382 423108. This is currently for people aged 65-69 only so please do not call with queries if you are not in this age group.
Dr Daniel Chandler, Associate Director of Public Health with NHS Tayside, said, “We are making excellent progress with the programme and it’s really encouraging to see such high numbers of people coming forward for vaccination.
“However, there is still some way to go in overcoming COVID-19, and vaccination is only one of a number of tools for suppressing spread of the virus as much as possible.
“Everyone in Tayside has made a great effort to drive down the infection rates, and we need everyone to keep sticking to the FACTS guidance and lockdown rules to ensure that cases continue to fall as we work our way through the vaccination programme.
“We have now moved on to priority group 6 which is one of the largest groups of people on the JCVI priority list, with people as young as 16 and many with underlying conditions which may not be obvious to others.
“It may take several weeks to get through the whole cohort so we are asking people in this group to please be patient and not worry if they are not contacted straight away or if they hear of others being contacted before them.
“Our booking teams are making thousands of calls every day to arrange appointments in GP practices and community clinics across Tayside. This is no small task, especially as we move into this larger cohort and so we are asking that people do not call with enquiries about getting the vaccine unless they are in any of the previous groups e.g. over 65 or shielding.”