Covid Edinburgh: MSP says booster queues should be tested to avoid spreading Covid

Lateral flow tests should be introduced at the Ingliston vaccination centre to help stop people catching Covid while waiting for their jags, an MSP has said.

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Labour’s Daniel Johnson said he got his booster at Ingliston on Saturday when people were queuing for up to two hours to get the crucial jag to protect them from the fast-spreading Omicron variant.

But he said: “There were a lot of people in that hall. Is it sensible to have that number indoors?”

People queuing for boosters at Ingliston have been having to wait up to two hours for jags

And he said it would be wise to ask people to take a lateral flow test before they go for their boosters or have tests available at the hall so they could be tested on arrival.

He said: “It seems odd given how infectious omicron is, to then have hundreds of people inside a hall for an hour to two hours at a time. I think we should be trying to make sure people lateral flow before they arrive or perhaps even asking them to do the test when they arrive.”

Tory councillor Phil Doggart said he understood people in the drop-in queue at Ingliston were being merged with people who had appointments. "It seems somewhat chaotic. If people have taken time to book an appointment you would expect them to be given first go.”

A spokesperson from the Edinburgh Health and Social Care partnership said at peak times there could be extended waiting times due to people arriving early for appointments or slightly later due to traffic.

“As Scotland’s vaccination programme continues to ramp up, we will also now be reviewing our queueing systems at our Ingliston site to further support flow.

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