THE spring vaccination programme has begun in Lanarkshire for those requiring a second booster. 

Since last Monday, vaccination staff have been visiting local care home residents to offer another layer of protection against Covid-19. 

The booster is being offered to eligible groups following advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

Over the next few weeks, care home residents, over 75s, and those aged 12 and over who have a weakened immune system will be offered a second booster.

The jab will be offered around 24 weeks after the first booster, although some people may be invited before this and letters are expected to sent over the next week and beyond with appointment details. 

NHS Lanarkshire will be opening a number of satellite sites in April, in locations such as Kilsyth, Stonehouse, Biggar and Crawford, to allow over 75s to get their second booster as close to home as possible. 

The Scottish Ambulance Service will also have a mobile bus travelling to more remote locations, with details to be announced in due course.  

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Lynsey Sutherland, interim general manager for Lanarkshire’s Vaccination Programme, said: "Offering this second booster will offer longer lasting protection against severe Covid-19 illness to those who are more vulnerable.

"Despite what has been the most challenging and complex vaccination programmes the NHS has ever undertaken our staff have been excellent in meeting the challenges of delivering the vaccine to residents across Lanarkshire and this has enabled us to move quickly onto the spring booster programme very efficiently.

"I would personally like to thank every member of staff who has been involved in this the largest vaccination programme.  T

"This includes care home staff who have worked with us to deliver the vaccine to care home residents as quickly as possible, colleagues from both North and South Health and Social Care Partnerships for their continued support, and our local authority partners, who continue to provide vaccination sites that allow us to deliver the programme. 

"Also thanks have to go to the residents of Lanarkshire for their continued support in making the roll-out of the vaccination programme, including the spring booster programme, a success."