ALMOST 2,000 Covid-19 jabs have been delivered to care home and housebound residents in Renfrewshire in recent months.

The work was disclosed in an update on the spring vaccination campaign from the health and social care partnership (HSCP).

It confirmed a total of 1,905 vaccines have been issued to the two groups since the programme started at the beginning of April.

The information was included in a report by Christine Laverty, chief officer of the HSCP, which will be considered at Friday’s meeting of the integration joint board (IJB), the body responsible for its oversight.

She said: “Locally, the spring Covid-19 vaccination campaign started on April 3 with vaccinations in all our care homes completed by April 17.

“Vaccination of our housebound started on April 15 with the aim of completing by the end of May.

“At the time of writing, a total of 1,905 vaccines have been delivered to care home and housebound residents.”

Councillor Iain McMillan, Labour group leader and member of the IJB, said: “I think you can forget the vaccination programme is still going on.

“Certainly I’ve heard, in the last couple of weeks, more and more people getting Covid, including some members of my own family as well.

“It’s still a thing, it still exists. It’s important we remember that. It will still have the same effect on the elderly or people who are vulnerable.

“We still need to be mindful about washing hands or if you catch it be very careful about who you are mixing with, if you are mixing with anybody at all.”

Mass clinics have started and a vaccination bus has visited Asda and Tesco in Linwood – the sites having been chosen to make accessing the vaccine easier for residents in Linwood and Ferguslie Park, where uptake has been lower.

The report added: “The Covid-19 programme has started to transition from a pandemic response to that of routine immunisation and as such the vaccination offer differs in eligible groups between winter and spring.

“This means that carers and household contacts of those with weakened immune systems are not eligible to receive the spring Covid-19 vaccine.”

Councillor McMillan, who represents Johnstone South and Elderslie, said the update was evidence of the important work routinely carried out by the HSCP.

He added: “I know we’re used to seeing the headlines about the health and social care partnership but they’re still doing a job every single day.

“I know there are issues and funding is the primary problem but there is still work – and very good work – going on in our communities day in, day out.”