Coronavirus / Health board preparing to vaccinate five to 11 year olds
NHS Shetland says it expects to start delivering Covid vaccines five to 11 year olds from late March onwards.
All children in that age group in Scotland will now be offered a vaccine – not just those at highest clinical risk.
Speaking during a media briefing on Tuesday, NHS Shetland’s interim public health director Dr Susan Laidlaw said these vaccination clinics are likely to be held on Saturdays.
The expectation is that vaccines may be given for this age group from 26 March onwards.
“That will be clinics for children, probably on an every fortnight basis,” Dr Laidlaw said.
“There has been some guidance on how we might call them by ages, but probably in reality with our relatively small numbers we will be calling children in as soon as we can.”
Dr Laidlaw reiterated though that people who have had Covid need to wait 12 weeks before having a vaccination.
Information on vaccines for children can be found on the NHS Inform website.
Meanwhile the health board does not have an exact start date yet for extra boosters due to be offered in Scotland to care home residents, those over 75 and everyone over 12 who is immunosuppressed.
However, Dr Laidlaw said these should be taking place from March.
The jabs will only be given six months after the recipient had their initial booster.
Shetland continues to have one of the highest overall Covid vaccination rates in Scotland.
More than 85 per cent of 12 to 15 year olds have had at least one dose of the vaccine.
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