FURTHER booster vaccination will be offered this September to people at high risk of severe Covid-19.

Care home residents, the staff working with them, frontline health and social care workers, those aged 50 and over, carers over the age of 16, people in a clinical risk group aged 5 or older as well as those who are household contacts of people with immunosuppression will be offered an additional dose.

Where possible, the boosters will be given at the same time as the flu vaccinations to those eligible.

Humza Yousaf, health secretary, said: "The vaccination programme in Scotland continues to be a huge success and this is testament to the efforts of everyone involved in its delivery and all those who took up their appointment offers.

"Vaccination has been our most effective tool against coronavirus.

"However, the degree of protection offered wanes over time.

"We know that those in high-priority groups are at higher risk of serious illness from Covid-19, and I therefore welcome this latest advice from the JCVI and can confirm that boosters will be offered to all those in eligible groups.

"The additional booster dose will improve your level of protection significantly and is the best way to protect yourself, your family and of course the NHS when we head into the busy winter months.

"I continue to encourage everyone to receive the doses they are eligible for as and when they become available."

Vaccinations will be first offered to frontline health and social care workers and those who are most vulnerable to the effects of the virus.

Letters will be sent out to the first eligible groups next month with appointments beginning in September.

Discussions on the details of the delivery timetable are underway with health board partners and more information will be made available in due course.

In the meantime, those eligible for a booster need not do anything.

Figures show that as of July 3 this year, 172 people in Clackmannanshire have died from coronavirus, while the UK surpassed 200,000 deaths on June 25.