NEARLY one in three people failed to show for vaccination appointments at the NHS Louisa Jordan in Glasgow before online booking became available, according to new figures.
Data published by the Scottish Government following a freedom of information request reveals that 30 per cent of scheduled Covid vaccine appointments at the city's mass vaccination hub went unattended during May.
In Edinburgh, nearly one in five appointments at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, the capital's main vaccination hub, were no-shows, along with more than 40% at Caird Hall in Dundee.
It is the first time that a breakdown of attendance levels by vaccination centre has been published in Scotland.
READ MORE: Half of Hydro vaccine appointments were no shows over weekend
Concerns were previously raised when it emerged that half of people booked for vaccination at the NHS Louisa Jordan over a weekend in May had failed to turn up.
The FOI figures now show that on Saturday May 22 there were 1,794 scheduled appointments at the venue but only 670 (37%) were used. On Sunday May 23, there were 3039 appointments and 1699 (56%) attendances.
Until then appointments had been issued by letter in Scotland, but worries over no-shows as vaccinations were extended to younger people prompted a shift towards online booking amid fears that mail was going to out-of-date addresses.
Overall, during May there were 76,557 scheduled appointments at the NHS Louisa Jordan and 53,529 attendances - a no-show rate of 30.1%.
At the EICC the no-show rate was 18.8% with 50,112 scheduled appointments and 40,680 attendances.
At Caird Hall, the main mass vaccination centre in Dundee, the attendance rate in May was just 58.2% with more than 9,300 of the hub's 22,437 scheduled appointments going unused.
On some days more than 60% of appointments at the venue were no-shows, however.
The city subsequently became Europe's Covid hotspot with nearly one in every 100 residents infected with the Delta strain by the peak of third wave in early July.
READ MORE: Travel woe for England-vaccinated Gran who cannot obtain Scottish Covid status certificate
Responding to the FOI, the Scottish Government also provided data showing the number of unscheduled vaccinations in May.
It is possible that some no-show patients who failed to cancel their appointments in advance could have been immunised instead on an unscheduled basis at drop-in venues.
In NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 55,905 people were vaccinated on an unscheduled basis in May.
In NHS Lothian, the figure was 41,251, and in Tayside 47,026 people were given unscheduled vaccinations.
The FOI data does not cover vaccinations carried out by GP surgeries and also provides figures for smaller local venues throughout Scotland, such as Bo'ness Town Hall, which recorded a 98% attendance rate.
READ MORE: All 16 and 17-year-olds in Scotland invited for vaccination from Friday
More than 96% of over-50s in Scotland are now fully vaccinated against Covid, but one in four Scots aged 18 to 29 has yet to have a first dose ahead of nightclubs reopening and venues such as pubs returning to full capacity from Monday.
Infections have plunged from more than 24,000 a week at the beginning of July to fewer than 8000 in the past week, with the number of patients in hospital 536 in mid-July to 381 now.
However, the the Scottish Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and Faculties (SAMRCF) warned that 91 people aged 20 to 39 have been hospitalised with Covid since Monday, as young medics urged their peers to get vaccinated.
Chairman Dr Miles Mac saying junior doctors "are troubled and concerned that very sick people in their age group are being admitted to hospital with Covid-19".
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “While we are aware that there is a higher absence rate among younger age groups for appointments for both first and second doses, and are undertaking measures to address this, it should be noted that we are still in the active delivery stage of the vaccination programme.
“Though a small number of individuals may choose not to attend their scheduled appointment, some people may be unable to attend an appointment at a set time and will be vaccinated at a later date.
“We are working to make it as simple as possible for people, particularly those in younger age groups, to get their vaccines.
"We are increasing the options available for how and when people choose to be vaccinated, including drop-in mobile centres, which have visited a range of sites such as football grounds, parks, workplaces and shopping centres."
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