Coronavirus vaccine: Take a first look inside Edinburgh’s mass vaccination centre
As NHS Lothian prepares to open three mass covid vaccination centres across the Lothians next week, we took a first peek inside the new centre in Edinburgh.
As NHS Lothian revealed that vaccination teams will open the doors to centres in Edinburgh and West Lothian on Monday February 1 as part of wave two of the national vaccination programme, we took a look inside the newly transformed Edinburgh International Conference Centre which aims to vaccinate around 21,000 people per week.
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5. Who will attend?
Those aged between 70-74 and 65 to 69 will be invited to mass vaccination sites such as the EICC and smaller community venues for their injections. Photo: Andrew O'Brien
Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC), Strathbrock Partnership Centre in Broxburn, West Lothian are the first of a total of 14 centres to be rolled out across Lothian and will be followed by the Members' Hall at the Royal Highland Showground next week, which has nine stations. A drive-through vaccination centre will be launched on February 10 at Queen Margaret University in East Lothian- it will have 16 stations and be capable of vaccinating 8,000 people a week.
On February 15, a vaccination centre with 32 stations will be created at Edinburgh Park in the former Royal Bank of Scotland building, followed by another site on the Royal Highland Showground, which has 50 stations and will open in March (Photo: Andrew O'Brien). Photo: Andrew O'Brien
Perspex screens and socially distanced booths have been erected across the site as patients come in to ensure both staff and patients are protected from the virus (Photo: Andrew O'Brien). Photo: Andrew O'Brien
NHS Lothian commented that the EICC team have been working 'flat out to transform it into a centre capable of vaccinating thousands each day.'
Marshall Dallas, EICC Chief Executive, said: "The EICC is proud to be supporting the NHS, working closely alongside NHS Lothian to put a multitude of measures in place in readiness for the opening of the vaccination centre. We now look forward to facilitating the NHS team in their work to eradicate COVID-19 and the havoc it has caused across our society." (Photo: Andrew O'Brien). Photo: Andrew O'Brien