Children and young people in the Western Isles are being invited to receive their first dose of the Covid vaccine.
Around 30 children children aged 12 to 17 from key groups will be offered the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in the coming days by NHS Western Isles.
This includes young people affected by severe neuro-disabilities, Down’s Syndrome, underlying conditions resulting in immunosuppression, and those who have a diagnosis of Learning/Intellectual disability.
The move has been made in line with the latest advice issued by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to have vulnerable youngsters vaccinated before the majority of schools return on August 16.
In a social post, the health board said young people from the same age demographic, who are household contacts of adults or children who are immunosuppressed will be invited to get the vaccine later this month as part of mass roll-out by the island health board.
This is to provide indirect protection for that member of their household.
Earlier this week Dr Vhairi Bateman, a consultant in infectious diseases, revealed some of the different symptoms being faced by young people fighting the virus.
Dr Bateman said: “The symptoms they’re experiencing are somewhat different to what we may have seen previously.
“We’re seeing fewer patients with severe respiratory symptoms.
“But we’re still seeing patients with other symptoms such as diarrhoea, vomiting, and severe headaches leading to dehydration and still needing to come to hospital for some support; albeit they don’t need oxygen support that many patients needed previously.”