THE city’s health board has announced that it is committed to ensuring all over 65s will receive their flu vaccination before December.

Earlier this week, the Glasgow Times launched a campaign calling on Scotland’s health boards to “Give Our OAPs a Shot” as hundreds of pensioners have been left feeling “worthless and terrified”.

We recieved more than 150 calls from frightened OAPs – and dozens of vulnerable people under the age of 65 – who are yet to receive an appointment for the lifesaving flu vaccination.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde say it is in the process of vaccinating more than 400,000 people, and that the uptake of vaccinations has been very encouraging.

Around 90,000 of those within the “at risk” and 65+ year old groups have now been vaccinated.

Dr Linda De Caestecker, director of public health, said: “We want to send out a clear message and reassure our residents that those who need it will receive their flu jag before the start of the flu season in December.

“Although our plans meant everyone would be immunised before the flu virus starts to circulate, we have become aware of concerns amongst particularly older members of our communities, some of whom have not yet had an appointment date.

“We have taken swift action to speed up the distribution of letters, so that all those remaining will now to be sent by NSS (National Services Scotland) before the end of October.”

Read more: Flu jab crisis: Glasgow Times launches Give Our OAPs a Shot campaign

Ms De Caestecker went on to say: “We do understand that people are anxious about their health going into winter, especially this year with the added complication of Covid, the number of people to be vaccinated is greater than ever before, but we are committed and on track to achieve this before the end of November.

“We are also aware that some people have received their letter after their appointment date and we must apologise for the understandable frustration this must have caused. There have been a number of reasons for this and we have taken action to avoid a repetition of this situation.

“We are receiving a high number of enquiries from patients, keen to know when their letters will arrive. To cope with this demand, we have increased significantly the number of call handlers to avoid any delays and we appreciate everyone’s patience while this happens.

“Thanks to our hard working staff more than 90,000 people have been vaccinated in the first few weeks of the campaign. We still have a long way to go but want to reassure people that there is plenty of time left to protect everyone before the flu season begins.”