EFFORTS to ensure as many people in Fife are given the Covid-19 vaccinations are continuing.

As well as planned clinics, drop-in sessions have been organised while a mobile service has hit the road to give the jab to seasonal workers at farms in the Kingdom.

Members of NHS Fife health board were given an update by director of pharmacy and medicines Scott Garden at their meeting on Tuesday.

“We are making continued progress with the vaccination campaign,” he said. “It is fast moving – overall, doses have gone above 485,000 now. As of July 19, we have offered everyone eligible a first dose of the Covid-19 vaccination.

“Our efforts continue to focus on trying to optimise uptake overall. Our drop-in offer is there now and we have drop-ins essentially running every day through our available clinics.”

Preparation is taking place for the arrival of students at St Andrew’s University and Fife College in August and September where Mr Garden said a “bespoke” programme was to be created.

Efforts to target difficult to reach patients are also being made.

“We went out with our welfare vans and delivered drop-in vaccinations,” added Mr Garden. “We have had some direction from the national programme around outreach to 13 farms in Fife for seasonal workers. We continue to work with them.

“Some of the work we are doing with community leaders is just to understand how we get to some of those hard to reach parts of our population.

"Communication has been instrumental in the whole delivery of the Covid-19 programme. This proactive approach will continue as we mop up and try and get as many doses as we can.”

As of Tuesday, 270,208 people in Fife have received the first vaccination with 212,788 having received their second dose.