A network of venues across Fife which will host community COVID-19 vaccination clinics over the coming months has been confirmed.
Since autumn, NHS Fife have been assessing a wide range of potential venues in the Kingdom for their suitability to host COVID-19 vaccinations clinics. This involved considering the accessibility of the potential venues, the safe and appropriate storage of vaccine supplies, clinical waste disposal and whether safe physical distancing requirements could be met.
A total of twelve venues have been confirmed as community vaccination sites:-
- Parkgate Community Centre, Rosyth
- East End Park, Dunfermline
- Dunfermline East Church
- The Lochgelly Centre
- Templehall Community Centre, Kirkcaldy
- Randolph Wemyss Memorial Hospital, Buckhaven
- Rothes Halls, Glenrothes
- Cupar Corn Exchange
- East Neuk Centre, Anstruther
- The Larick Centre, Tayport
- St Andrews Community Hospital
- Tayside Institute Community Centre, Newburgh
These community vaccination clinics will open on a phased basis, with the first site offering appointments on 01 February 2021. Vaccination at the clinics will be by appointment only, with patients sent letters by order of their priority group as laid out in the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) guidance.
An additional site in West Fife is also planned, with the venue due to be confirmed in the coming days.
Significant progress has been made since the COVID-19 vaccination programme in Fife began in December 2020, with 11,500 healthcare and social care staff, more than 2,500 care home residents and just under 3,000 care home staff vaccinated so far.
Fife residents aged 80 and over were the next priority group to begin vaccination. GP practices across Fife have been vaccinating those aged 80 and over for just under two weeks and it is expected that all in this group will be offered vaccination at their local practice by early February.
In line with the Scottish Government COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment Plan, people aged 75-79 will be in the next priority group to begin vaccination and will asked to attend one of the newly established community clinics rather than their GP practice. The vaccination of those aged 75-79 will be phased over a number of weeks with appointment letters beginning to arrive for some from next week.
NHS Fife Director of Pharmacy and Medicines, Scott Garden, said:
“While we’re still seeing considerable levels of COVID-19 in our communities presently, the development of our network of community COVID-19 clinics is another important step in helping us to reduce the transmission of the virus in Fife.
“The scale of the COVID-19 vaccination programme cannot be underestimated – it is truly unprecedented. Establishing this network of large community venues should enable us to deliver a programme of this size and scale in a timely manner, whilst enabling our medical practices to continue to deliver the vital local healthcare services that people rely on.
“We have been overwhelmed by the number of kind and generous offers we have received to host potential vaccinations clinics. A considerable amount of work has been carried out over recent months to thoroughly assess potential sites to ensure that they are suitable to host large vaccination clinics, taking into account accessibility, transport links and whether the necessary physical distancing requirements could be achieved. Our sincerest thanks go to all of those organisations who offered us the use of their facilities for this purpose.
“As ever, we ask for the continued patience of local people as we roll out the vaccination programme. The programme in Fife is already moving at considerable pace and will likely accelerate in the coming weeks and months as the supply of vaccine improves.”
The latest information on the COVID-19 vaccination programme in Fife is available on NHS Fife’s website at: https://fife.link/vaccinationclinics
Additional information on the COVID-19 vaccination programme in Scotland is available on the NHS Inform website by visiting: https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/immunisation/vaccines/coronavirus-covid-19-vaccine.
Local people with an enquiry related to COVID-19 vaccinations, can call the Scottish COVID-19 Vaccination Helpline on 0800 030 8013 (available 8.00am–8.00pm 7 days a week).
