East Lothian Community Hospital helping in coronavirus vaccine pledge

And it comes as East Lothian Community Hospital in Haddington, now set up as East Lothian Covid Vaccination Centre to support the mass centre, began administering vaccines to priority groups on Monday.

The mass vaccination centre at Queen Margaret University is due to open on Wednesday and can vaccinate 8,000 people a week at 16 drivethrough stations.

Attendance at the vaccination centres is by appointment only.

Appointment letters are being sent out to people in the appropriate priority groups.

Krista Clubb, primary care vaccination service manager, said: “Since early December when the Covid-19 vaccine first became available, our fantastic care teams have been hard at work prioritising vaccination of our health and social care staff and our care home residents.

"Nursing and medical staff at GP practices across the county have also been doing great work with the rapid rollout of vaccinations for people aged 80 and over, which is nearing completion.

“The [Haddington] vaccination centre will now begin to vaccinate those aged 70- 74, and GP practices will begin vaccinating people who are clinically extremely vulnerable and people aged 75 and over.

“This is the biggest vaccination programme in history and involves a massive team effort from our staff and the community to deliver this as quickly and as safely as possible.”

Meanwhile, health chiefs have warned that most East Lothian residents will still be asked to go to one of the mass vaccination centres either at Queen Margaret University or Edinburgh International Conference Centre.

Queen Margaret University

The community hospital is expected to focus on the most vulnerable residents who cannot travel or have additional needs.

An East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership spokesperson said: “Many people in East Lothian will still be asked to attend a mass vaccination centre in the Edinburgh area for their appointment.

“These appointments are allocated centrally and you will only be able to change your appointment where there is a significant problem with the one you have been allocated (for example, if you have complex medical needs).

“Unfortunately, in these challenging times, appointments cannot be allocated on the grounds of convenience; they have to be allocated in line with clinical and strategic requirements.”

Health chiefs declined to reveal the capacity at the Haddington centre or number of vaccines given since it opened on Monday.

The total number of people who had received, by January 31, their first dose of the vaccine in East Lothian was given as 6,434; however, no percentage was released to show what proportion of the population that represented. January 24’s figure was 5,052 vaccinations – 5.78 per cent of the county’s population.