Thousands of 12 to 15-year-olds in Fife to receive appointment letters for coronavirus vaccine

People in that age group in Scotland are being officially offered the jag as of today, but NHS Fife has revealed details of its own plans for the rollout of the vaccine to those in that cohort.

The health board says appointments in the Kingdom will start from 2 October 2021, but it's working towards accommodating people in that age group at drop-in clinics from this Wednesday (22 September 2021).

Work has started to reconfigure vaccination venues for additional requirements necessary for people in the age group to be vaccinated.

Appointments for next month onwards will be scheduled for after 3.30pm on weekdays or at the weekend to make sure young people don't have to take time out of school, with vaccination being offered at the closest available clinic to home.

Appointment letters, which will arrive in blue envelopes, will also include advice and guidance for parents and carers around the process of informed consent.

Allocated appointment slots are also being extended to allow vaccinators to discuss the process of informed consent and deal with questions associated with this requirement.

Details of these drop-in clinic locations and opening times will be published on NHS Fife's website and on social media, once finalised.

There is a dedicated web page on its website to provide information and help answer questions.

Dr Esther Curnock, Deputy Director of Public Health for the health board, said: "All children and young people who are 12 years and older are now being offered Covid-19 vaccination.

"This offer is being made across the UK following a wider review by the four Chief Medical Officers, which had additional medical contributions such as the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

"In Fife this cohort will be offered a single dose of the Pfizer vaccine, and these will be primarily delivered via scheduled appointments, rather than at drop-in clinics, to allow us to offer slightly longer appointments that will allow our young people, their parents or guardians the opportunity to discuss the process of informed consent and for our vaccinators to answer any questions or address any concerns that they might have."