MEDICAL practices across Helensburgh and Lomond have the "capacity and will" to vaccinate several thousand patients a week, according to a local GP, as fears emerge over an apparent 'bottleneck' in supply.

According to Public Health Scotland management information, as of Sunday, January 17 just over five per cent of the Argyll and Bute population had received their first dose of the vaccine.

All care homes across the region have been visited by vaccination teams, while the community rollout began last weekend for over-80s.

However the percentage coverage across the NHS Highland health board area - which covers Helensburgh and Lomond - and the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde region was slightly lower than the national average of 5.29 per cent, at 4.27 per cent and 5.24 per cent, respectively.

Helensburgh Medical Centre's Dr Brian McLachlan said the local process had started well, with around 1,400 patients being inoculated on Saturday and Sunday, and more progress would be made in the coming weeks.

“We would like to send our gratitude to our resilient over-80s, who battled rain and wind and cold to come down to Lomond School", he said.

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“Vaccination of our housebound over-80s will roll out from this week. Our colleagues in Kilcreggan and Arrochar are also vaccinating over-80s this week and next.

"The next groups will be over-70s and under-65s at risk. We will be doing this as soon as we get the vaccine supply, which will hopefully be in the next few weeks.

“These vaccinations may take place in the practices or in Lomond sports hall, depending on the rate of vaccine supply.”

Dr McLachlan said that uptake over the first weekend of the community vaccination rollout was “in excess of 95 per cent with a single phone call”.

He added: “This is an unprecedented patient acceptance of the vaccination campaign and all patients were delighted that they could now see some light at the end of the tunnel.

“I would like to thank everyone involved in both practice teams for outstanding organisation and delivery of the first stage of our Covid vaccine plan.

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“We would like to reassure our patients that we have the capacity to deliver as many vaccinations as can be supplied to us.

"We have reassured the health board that we can vaccinate several thousand patients a week between us. It is important that our patients realise we have the capacity and will to do this.

“The manufacture and supply of the vaccines is the bottleneck at present. We understand the challenges around the supply and fully support the health board in their endeavours to improve supply and we are reassured that this is being addressed.

“Our practice has had 100 per cent uptake of the vaccination amongst staff. All doctors, nurses and admin staff have had their first dose and we support the delay to the second dose to widen the population coverage of the first dose.

“We as a group of doctors and nurses working in the locality would strongly recommend the vaccine to all groups to whom it is offered.

“Please come for your vaccination when asked and let us make Helensburgh and the Lochside as safe as we can.”

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Joanna Macdonald, chief officer for Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “I am really pleased that we are continuing with the vaccination programme in Argyll and Bute and I would like to thank all of our staff, including GPs and their teams, for their hard work and commitment in ensuring that we are moving forward with the vaccinations as quickly as we can.

“We are currently working our way through the priority groups as per the national guidance and I am delighted to say that our vaccination teams have already visited all care homes in Argyll and Bute, which is really good news.

“We are now also starting to vaccinate people aged 80 and over and your GP will be in touch when it’s your turn to be seen.

“Finally, I would remind the public of the importance of continuing to follow national guidance on social distancing, self-isolation and mixing indoors and that they should stay at home and only leave the house for essential purposes.”