Vaccination efforts increase in "cold spots" of Aberdeen
The Health and Social care partnership say some areas of the city are lagging around 10% behind in uptake rates.
A major effort is under way to increase uptake of Covid-19 vaccinations in “cold spot” areas of Aberdeen.
The vaccination team has pinpointed several areas of the city where uptake is below or around 80%. These include:
· George Street
· City Centre East
· City Centre West
· Hanover North
· Froghall, Powis and Sunnybank
· Seaton
· Old Aberdeen
· Tillydrone
The vaccination programme is targeting efforts on the 3,500 residents in these areas who have not been vaccinated so far, with the aim of raising uptake levels to the city average of about 90%.
The vaccination programme team is aiming to address concerns about vaccination among some individuals and groups.
The team has made a strong start in responding to harder-to-reach groups such as travellers, homeless people, people from ethnic minority groups and those in temporary accommodation.
The latest push is to tackle the pockets of lower uptake in the city centre, with a focus on:
· a multi-lingual leaflet drop addressed to the occupier, to invite those living in low-uptake postcodes for vaccination (as opposed to the original invitations which were addressed to an individual who may have moved)
· the local Aberdeen Call Centre proactively contacting all individuals by telephone who have not attended their initial appointment to offer new bookings
· social media campaigns to invite for vaccination
· pop-up locality-based vaccination clinics at the Health Village on Frederick Street, and at Tillydrone Hub, Gerrard Street Baptist Church and Seaton Community Church, in addition to the ongoing offer at P&J Live at TECA.
Link-ups are also on the cards with large local employers in order to reach disadvantaged groups, to either promote vaccination or offer outreach vaccination.
Covid-19 vaccination appointments have now been offered to all Aberdeen citizens aged over 50 and the programme is currently vaccinating 40-49 age group. On completion of this cohort, the programme will move on to the younger age groups.
The vast majority of vaccinations have been delivered at the P&J Live venue in order to vaccinate large numbers of people as rapidly as possible. Centralising the effort at a large venue has minimised vaccine wastage and maximised each vaccinator’s rate of vaccination. The venue has also allowed for efficient support for vaccinators and for members of the public attending appointments.
People aged over 80 have been vaccinated at their local GP practice, while those people living in a care home or who are housebound were vaccinated by District Nursing Teams.
The national vaccination programme is recognised as one of the key ways out of the current pandemic, along with readily available testing and safety measures like face coverings and social distancing.