In the last week alone, 4000 jabs were delivered to people aged over 80 locally, see picture above.
And the programme is set to scale up even more next week when 14 GP practices also start doing inoculations.
Health bosses say the rollout locally is progressing in line with national guidance.
Dumfries and Galloway Health and Social Care Partnership chief officer Julie White yesterday said: “A huge amount of work has taken place in a short space of time to get the vaccination campaign rolled out as quickly as possible in Dumfries and Galloway, in line with Scottish Government directions.”
She credited the jab rate ‘in significant part’ to the new Oxford/Astrazeneca vaccine which does not have the same storage or transportation requirements as the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.
A total of 22 locations are currently being used around the region to reach as many people as possible, quickly and in the safest way – including the Charles Street clinic in Annan and Mountainhall in Dumfries.
However, these are only operating five days a week at present.
An NHS spokesman said: “We have the ability to expand this if required. However, this is currently sufficient to deliver vaccinations at a rate in line national directions and provision of vaccines.
“Currently, we have sufficient numbers of vaccinators to meet the rate of vaccination, which is in line with Scottish Government directions.”
But he also admitted that “staffing resources are being significantly tested by the current circumstances”, although a number of retired NHS staff have returned to support the vaccination programme.
In addition, community nurses have been out and about providing vaccinations to those who are housebound.
It all means that the inoculation programme has been accelerated and waiting lists have been able to be shortened.
The spokesman said: “In line with national directions, vaccinations for all those aged over 70 are now set to take place within the first two weeks of February – instead of running across the month.
“Arrangements for other recipient groups, as identified by the Scottish Government, will be provided in due course, with a request that no one gets in touch about their own vaccination arrangements.”
