BOOSTER Covid vaccinations will finally begin for people living in Helensburgh this week, health bosses have announced. 

The Argyll and Bute health and social care partnership (HSCP) says that people aged 50 or above, or who are immunosuppressed, have been, or are being, contacted and sent appointment letters to receive a booster vaccine on Thursday, November 4 and Friday, November 5.

The HSCP announced via Twitter on Sunday that invitations had been sent to people enrolled at the two GP practices at Helensburgh Medical Centre - the Millig Practice and Dr McLachlan and Partners.

The announcement came days after the HSCP announced it would be holding drop-in booster vaccination sessions in Garelochhead, Kilcreggan and Arrochar.

However, it says the Helensburgh clinics, unlike the others, are not drop-in sessions.

 

 

The partnership's social media announcement did not state where the Helensburgh clinics would take place.

The news comes days after the HSCP apologised for making "a number of clerical errors" in letters inviting patients in other parts of Argyll and Bute to attend booster vaccination clinics in the wrong locations.

The partnership revealed that people living in Lochgilphead and Lochgoilhead had wrongly been invited to attend a clinic in Cairndow due to "a data input error".

There was controversy earlier this month when GP practices across Helensburgh and Lomond announced their disappointment that despite their success in organising the programme of first and second vaccine doses, the HSCP had decided to take the administration of the booster vaccine programme in most of Argyll and Bute in-house.

Concerns raised by residents were aired at Holyrood by the area's MSP, Jackie Baillie, last week - prompting First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to say she would look into the circumstances of the Argyll adn Bute booster programme "too see whether there is a particular problem there".

Details for the Arrochar, Garelochhead and Kilcreggan sessions, all taking place this week, are as follows.

Drop-in clinics scheduled so far in Helensburgh and Lomond are:

Arrochar: age 50+, Three Villages Hall, Monday, November 1 from 9am–6pm. No appointment is necessary, just drop in. You must be a patient of Arrochar Medical Practice, you must have received your second dose of a Covid vaccine six months ago, and if you have had coronavirus it must be four weeks after the date you were tested to get the booster vaccine even if you did not have symptoms.

Garelochhead: age 70+, Gibson Hall, Tuesday, November 2 from 9am–6pm. No appointment is necessary, just drop in. You must be a patient of Garelochhead Medical Practice.

Kilcreggan: age 50+, Cove Burgh Hall, Wednesday, November 3 from 9am–4.30pm. No appointment is necessary, just drop in. You must be a patient of Kilcreggan Medical Practice.