NHSWI are now asking all those over the age of 50 to come forward when invited for their first vaccination.

Those being invited to contact them for a first vaccine appointment are now:

Anyone aged 50 or over; or

Anyone in the 16-64 at risk group (see Who is being offered the coronavirus vaccine in Scotland | The coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine (nhsinform.scot)) ; or

Anyone who has been identified as ‘shielding’ aged 16 or over; or

Unpaid carers aged 16 or over.

Whilst a number of our scheduled clinics are already full, we currently still have clinic availability as follows:-

Stornoway: Saturday (March 13) and Sunday (March 14)

Uist: Sunday (March 14)

Barra: Saturday (March 13) and Sunday (March 14)

Harris: Tuesday (March 16)

A spokesman said: “If you are included in one of the categories above, please contact us for an appointment on 0808 196 8383.

“The phoneline will be open Monday to Friday, 9.30am – 5pm. Please note that lines will be busy, so if you cannot get through first time, please try again.

“Please note that NHS staff will be continuing to contact eligible individuals for appointments, but we wish to ensure as many people are vaccinated as possible at available clinics over the coming weeks as additional vaccine is made available to us. Please do not worry if you are unable to contact us for an appointment – we will continue to contact everyone eligible for an appointment directly.

“We would encourage everyone eligible to consider taking the COVID vaccine, which is our best chance of bringing the current pandemic to an end. However, it is only one part of how we beat this virus and it is absolutely vital that everyone follows the existing safety precautions (FACTS) and Protection Level arrangements regardless of whether or not they have had the vaccine.

“If you have been given an appointment and are unable to attend, or would like to change your appointment, we would appeal to you to let us know as soon as possible so that your appointment can be offered to someone else, and so we can reduce the risk of vaccine wastage (tel. 0808 196 8383).”

PLEASE CONTINUE TO FOLLOW ‘FACTS’ AND STAY SAFE!

F – Face coverings. These should be used in shops and on public transport (buses, trains and taxis)A – Avoid crowded places.C – Clean your hands frequently, using water & soap whenever possible.T – Two metres – observe physical distancing.S – Self-isolate and book a test if you are suffering from COVID-19 symptoms.

Please also ensure that you maintain good respiratory hygiene - cough or sneeze into a tissue and dispose of the tissue in a bin, or alternatively cough/sneeze into your elbow.