SCOTS pharmacies are struggling to meet demand amid an ongoing ‘flu-bomb’ stripping shelves of vital vaccines, it has emerged.
Public Health Scotland (PHS) had previously described the amount of laboratory confirmed influenza this winter as “extraordinary” with cases rising by 12 per cent this week.
Flu vaccines are running out warn pharmacies across Scotland[/caption]
And outlets in Edinburgh said they only have a handful of doses left as stricter eligibility criteria for NHS vaccines this year mean more people are seeking the vaccine privately.
Figures have shown prevalence at 52.6 per 100,000 of the population in the week up to December 29.
In the same week, 1,537 people were taken to hospital as a result of the flu outbreak, compared to 1,375 the previous week.
The number of positive tests also increased slightly from 2,823 to 2,886, slowing from earlier in the summer.
The industry body who represent pharmacy owners said the demand for vaccines was outstripping the available supply which was ordered before the winter.
Adam Osprey, head of policy and development at Community Pharmacy Scotland, told The Times: “Pharmacies each year place their orders well in advance of the flu season, so actually in February time, so these guys will already be thinking about what they need for next year.
“Whereas sometimes the policy decisions for who is eligible for an NHS vaccine happens much later in the year, typically in 2024 we were looking at September.”
Prison officers and teachers are no longer eligible for a vaccine on the NHS compared to previous years.
According to a report from PHS on Friday, a “substantial number of well-vaccinated” care homes have faced outbreaks, but thus far “only a small number of deaths have been reported”.
The figures come as Health Secretary Neil Gray warned the NHS continues to face “significant” pressures due in part to the increase in flu cases.
“The NHS continues to face significant winter pressures, including cases of Influenza A, which remain very high,” he said.
“I am enormously grateful to all those working in health and social care settings for their extraordinary efforts over the busy festive period.
“I was encouraged to hear about the collaborative working right across the system, with strong leadership and staff supporting each other.
“I want to thank the public, too, for taking heed of messages about accessing the right care in the right place, and taking steps to help slow the spread of infection.
“It is important for everyone to be familiar with the different resources available, including NHS Inform’s online tools that can help you to get appropriate health advice as quickly as possible.”
We told previously how a Scots health board has halted festive hospital visits amid rocketing cases of cold and flu-like illnesses.
NHS Dumfries and Galloway has made the move to restrict visits to the region’s Royal Infirmary (DGRI) due to a “high volume” of respiratory illness present within the community.
