Drive through clinics will be opened by the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership (EHSCP) throughout Edinburgh this weekend to make it as quick, safe and easy as possible for people to get their flu vaccine.

The clinics will continue to operate on weekends in September, October and November and each site can vaccinate up to 500 people a day.

By developing flu drive throughs, everyone entitled to a free flu vaccine from a household can attend at the same time. For those who don’t have access to a car, a series of walk through clinics are being arranged and Edinburgh locations will be available on the NHS Inform website once confirmed. 

Keeping the people of Edinburgh safe and healthy is a priority, so before the jab is administered, a nurse will ask some questions to make sure it is safe to administer the vaccine. The person receiving the jab doesn’t need to leave their car and will also be asked to wait 15 minutes before leaving the clinic to ensure there’s no reaction to the vaccine.

If you are one of the 120,000 people in Edinburgh who is eligible for a free flu vaccine, or for more information, go to www.nhsinform.scot/flu to find out where you can get your vaccination in Edinburgh.

If you qualify for a free vaccine you’ll be given a time to attend a clinic after completing a short questionnaire.

Judith Proctor, Chief Officer for the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “As part of our mission to support a caring, healthier and safer Edinburgh, we’re committed to making it even easier to get a flu vaccine this year. The flu vaccine is an important health protection measure and we want to make sure that everyone who is eligible has access to the vaccine.

“To keep the people of Edinburgh safe, and to respect physical distancing measures, we have confirmed a range of Edinburgh venues to offer access to the flu vaccine, including a drive through service at sites across the city. This is the first time a drive through model has been used for vaccinations in Scotland, and could provide a blueprint for how to deliver vaccination programmes successfully in the future.

“Details of where people can go to receive a flu vaccine will be available on the NHS Inform website.”

Website | + posts

Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.