Elderly people in Dundee have been left queuing for an hour for their coronavirus booster vaccines.
Pensioners lined up for their third jag at the city’s new vaccine clinic in the High Street but faced long delays due to “unplanned staff absences” on Tuesday.
But some reported queuing for up to an hour for their vaccines, while others refused to wait.
The new booster clinic, based in a former Zara store in the city’s High Street, opened its doors to people above the age of 70 on Monday.
It aims to quickly provide booster Covid vaccines to some of Dundee’s most vulnerable; however, some have been put off by the long queues.
‘I just said no thank you’
One 83-year-old, who asked to remain anonymous, said the long queue at the clinic forced him to delay his booster appointment.
He said: “I got a letter sometime last week asking me to come in for an appointment at the centre on the High Street today (Tuesday).
“I turned up 10 minutes early, like they asked, and found a big queue outside.
“I told them I had an appointment and they said I had to get in line – and when I asked how long it would be they said up to an hour.
“There was no social distancing or management in the queue so I just said no thank you and walked away.
“After a lot of trouble, I was able to book another appointment later but it’s just not on.”
Accessibility concerns
Others, such as 78-year-old Pat Garland, are concerned that the queues may make the vaccination centre less accessible.
She said: “I’ve not had my booster yet, but I live in a retirement complex and I’ve spoken to plenty of people who have.
“All of them had to wait over an hour in line.
The vaccination teams across Tayside are working very hard to ensure people are seen as quickly as possible and to minimise any delays.”
NHS Tayside spokesperson
“I’m worried because I have quite a severe back pain and I know I can’t stand for that long.
“I need to sit down or lean on a railing every 10 minutes or else I’m in a lot of pain.
“I keep thinking that having to wait that long will deter me from going. I don’t want it to put me off but I think it will.
“When I got my first jabs it was so much easier; I wasn’t there for longer than five or six minutes.”
Unplanned staff absence
A spokesperson for NHS Tayside said: “Some people have experienced a longer wait at the Dundee city centre vaccination centre today and we would like to apologise for that.
“Due to a number of unplanned staff absences, there were fewer vaccinators than planned on site this morning which led to people having to wait longer than we would like.
“Staff have been relocated from other areas and more vaccinators and support staff are in place this afternoon.
“The vaccination teams across Tayside are working very hard to ensure people are seen as quickly as possible and to minimise any delays.
“We would like to thank everyone who has attended so far for their patience and would encourage others to come along for their vaccine.”