Flu and Covid Vaccination Programme – Autumn/Winter – Update

This weekend (9/10 September) sees the start of this year’s rollout of the Autumn/Winter Flu and Covid vaccination programme across the county.

As a reminder, information on appointments is below:

• For all mainland and non-ferry linked isles patients – please keep an eye on the post as you will be given an appointment letter with details of your appointment and location. If you signed up for text/email appointments, then look out for those too. Please note we will be using two locations, The Balfour and the Boys Brigade Hall (Kirkwall).
• For Stromness practice patients – you will be communicated with directly by the practice.
• For ferry linked isles patients – you will be communicated with directly by the practice.
• For care home residents – we will be scheduling appointments in the near future.
• For anyone pregnant – you will receive communication via the maternity department.

As a precautionary measure, Public Health Scotland and the Scottish Government have asked all Health Boards to facilitate rephasing those at highest risk of becoming seriously ill from Flu and Covid. This includes care home residents, those aged 75+ and those with weakened immune systems.

For those Stromness and ferry linked isles practice patients, these practices are communicating directly with you, your appointments will be scheduled as appropriate to the new timeline. If you have any questions regarding your appointment, please contact your practice directly.

For all those mainland and non-ferry linked isles patients who fall into one of the categories of either being aged 75+ or with weakened immune systems you will receive an appointment letter in the post or via text/email. If you wish to reschedule to an earlier appointment, you can do so by following the instructions on your appointment invite, this is via the national vaccination helpline on 0800 030 8013 or online. Please do be patient when calling the helpline as teams are extremely busy at the moment.

This change is due to the identification of the newly identified Covid variant, BA.2.86. Vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself and we continue to encourage all those eligible to take up the vaccination offer when it comes. Viruses are always changing, and getting vaccinated every year is the best way to stay protected.

Maureen Firth, Head of Primary Care said: “We are having to adjust our vaccination schedule ever so slightly following this precautionary measure put in place. As a reminder, this change is only for those aged 75+, those with weakened immune systems and our care home residents. If you fall into one of these categories, you can reschedule your appointment to a slightly earlier one, however if you’re content with your appointment you are welcome to keep it and attend as scheduled. All of those eligible for vaccination, aged 12-64 and not immunosuppressed should still attend their appointment as scheduled. If you do not wish to attend your vaccination appointment, we would be grateful if you could cancel your appointment so the slot can be offered to someone else. We really do appreciate your understanding as we navigate the changes and undertake another significant vaccination programme across Orkney.”

Please note: The national vaccination helpline can be contacted on 0800 030 8013. The helpline is open from 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 1pm on Saturday and closed on Sunday.