Vaccination Update

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11 March 2021 COVID cases

On 10 March we had 16 new cases. The infection rate is 32/100,000 across the NHS Highland area: 19/100,000 in Argyll and Bute and 40/100,000 in North Highland. These cases are primarily concentrated in the Inverness area.

We currently have positive cases in a Care for the Elderly ward in Raigmore. This situation is being closely monitored, with all close contacts isolating.

Visiting to this ward has been suspended.

We have a total of nine inpatient cases in Raigmore, plus four in ITU, and two in Argyll and Bute. There have been 165 recorded deaths in the NHS Highland area since the start of the pandemic: 94 in Highland and 71 in Argyll and Bute.

All patients in the ward have previously been offered vaccination except where clinical advice was against this.

Vaccination

NHS Highland continues to vaccinate patients in line with the Scottish Government and guidance for the vaccination programme. We have exceeded the target of vaccinating over 85% of all those aged over 65 (Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) cohort groups 1-5).

We are now starting first dose vaccinations for cohort 6, ‘clinically at risk 16-65’. This large group is being split into sub groups:

• 6a those at risk based on a modified version of the flu vaccination list
• 6b carers in receipt of SSS allowance
• 6c those at risk due to additional risk conditions
• 6d other unpaid carers

A national registration system is being developed for unpaid carers to self-identify. Until this is in place we are working on other parts of cohort 6 and Scottish Government has also permitted vaccination to start for cohort 7, 60-64 year olds, where there is sufficient vaccine.

We have given 112,024 people their first dose vaccination: 43.4% of the population over age 16 compared to 39.8% for Scotland as a whole. Vaccination data is now available on the Scottish Government’s daily interactive dashboard.

Priority group	When the first dose will be complete	Total population across the NHS Highland area* (to nearest 500)
All those 80 years of age and over	5 February	18,500
All those 75-80 years of age	Mid-February	14,000
All those 70-75 years of age	Mid-February	21,000
Extremely clinically vulnerable individuals	Mid-February	4,500
All those 65-70 years of age	Early-March	20,000
All individuals aged 16 years to 64 years with underlying health conditions and unpaid carers	Early-May	44,000
All those 60-65 years of age	Early-May	22,000
All those 55-60 years of age	Early-May	23,000
All those 50-55 years of age	Early-May	22,000

*Includes Highland Council and Argyll and Bute Council areas.