Praise for frontline NHS Highland workers as vaccinations surpass 100,000 mark

AN MSP has praised frontline healthcare workers after vaccinations in the NHS Highland area surpassed the 100,000 mark.

Kate Forbes, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, lauded the "herculean efforts" of the staff delivering injections across the vast health board region during the pandemic.

As of February 25, it is understood that approximately 73,000 people from the Highland region and 27,000 from Argyll and Bute have received their first dose of vaccination.

In an update this week, NHS Highland said it continued to vaccinate in line with Scottish Government guidance, with the current target to vaccinate everyone over 65 – Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) cohort groups 1-5 –

by March 5.

Ms Forbes said: “Our frontline healthcare workers in NHS Highland deserve enormous praise for their continued work throughout the pandemic, and after surpassing the 100,000 mark it’s only fair to record our thanks to everyone involved in administering the vaccines.

“The only way the vaccination programme can continue to deliver is down to the herculean efforts of vaccination teams, so I am grateful for the tireless work of NHS Highland staff.

“I would continue to urge everyone eligible to take the vaccine, as they provide longer lasting protection against the virus.

“The vaccination programme is not done in isolation, and that’s why it’s important that we all continue to follow the lockdown restrictions as well as the correct protocols for test and protect to identify cases and break chains of transmission.”

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