Members of NHS Dumfries and Galloway were told that it will be the biggest in terms of scope of those eligible for the vaccination.
And health bosses are planning a radically revised model to deliver the jabs, to take in the risks of Covid 19 transmission and to avoid queues and crowded waiting rooms.
Chief executive Jeff Ace told members at a meeting on Monday: “Our public health team is already engaged with primary care colleagues on planning this programme and revising our traditional model to deal with increased numbers and the pandemic context.
“We anticipate beginning vaccinations in October 2020 but do not yet have certainty on timings of vaccine availability.”
Mr Ace also revealed that a second mass vaccination programme could have to be rolled out later this year, or next, if trials of any of the Covid-19 vaccines succeed quickly.
He said: “This would be an unprecedented mass vaccination programme and, whilst we have existing contingency plans for such an event, would consume enormous amounts of our delivery capacity. “Should a Covid-19 vaccine become available during the timescale of an influenza vaccination programme, it is likely that the latter would be paused to allow focus on Covid.
“We are currently undertaking scenario planning to prepare for potential workload through the autumn and winter.”
