Covid-19 vaccine can be sent to outer isles, NHS Shetland chief confirms

Doses of the coronavirus vaccine will now be sent to Shetland’s outer isles to treat care home patients, the health board’s chief had confirmed.

NHS Shetland received 975 doses last week, enough to vaccinate at least 400 people.

However, logistical issues to do with the need to keep the vaccine at an ultra-low temperature meant they were not able to be transported to the outer isles.

That advice has now changed with new guidance that allows the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine to be moved by ferry to the outer isles.

NHS Shetland chief executive Michael Dickson said the update was”most welcome and will have a positive impact on our ability to vaccinate vulnerable islanders in some of the UK’s most remote care homes”. 

He added the initial approach had been “safety first” and that it was important to clarify arrangements for transporting the defrosted vaccine.

Contingency plans had been developed but Mr Dickson said: “We are pleased that these are now not required due to the extensive discussions between the Scottish government and the [regulator] MHRA.  

“This is a new vaccine and, understandably, we need to manage it carefully which is why we are taking the steps we are.

“As chief executive of two of Scotland’s remote island boards [Orkney and Shetland], I would rather we take a safety-first approach and, while that has caused a minor delay while we clarified issues, we can now progress confident in the effectiveness of the vaccine.”

NO COMMENTS

Add Your Comment

Add Your Comment

Please note, it is the policy of The Shetland Times to publish comments and letters from named individuals only. Both forename and surname are required.

Comments are moderated. Contributors must observe normal standards of decency and tolerance for the opinions of others.

The views expressed are those of contributors and not of The Shetland Times.

The Shetland Times reserves the right to decline or remove any contribution without notice or stating reason.

Comments are limited to 200 words but please email longer articles or letters to editorial@shetlandtimes.co.uk for consideration and include a daytime telephone number and your address. If emailing information in confidence please put "Not for publication" in both the subject line and at the top of the main message.

200 words left

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

logo

Get Latest News in Your Inbox

Join the The Shetland Times mailing list to get one daily email update at midday on what's happening in Shetland.