FURTHER to Christopher Jones's letter (October 20) regarding the flu jag shambles, no-one has yet mentioned one of the problems associated with a move to an appointment-based system for the inoculations. My understanding is that in previous years, the uptake of the jag has never been more than around 60 per cent of the eligible population. While the Covid-19 virus might be expected to lead to an increase in takers, against that, there will be many elderly people who will find it difficult, if not impossible to get to distant vaccination centres, often not that well served by public transport. In consequence, the uptake this year is certainly going to be considerably less than 100%, with the result that while many people who are desperate to be given the jag are having to wait potentially until the end of the year, there will be numerous wasted missed appointments in the forthcoming weeks.

I find it hard to understand why the Government agreed to the BMA's wish to ditch responsibility for carrying out the vaccinations. As far as I could tell, the previous system worked well, and it didn't appear to be a particularly onerous exercise for GP surgeries.

R Murray, Glasgow G41.

IT is unbelievable that the management at Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board have not yet sorted their problems with the phone helpline. It is, 18 days from October 2, impossible to make contact with the 0141 number. The message is they are receiving a very high volume of calls so you can use the email address. The only problem with this is that they don't reply to emails either.

Coupling this level of incompetence with their implementing a system which gives priority to youngest first rather than the eldest and most vulnerable first demonstrates a complete disregard for the eldest in our population.

If a Covid-19 vaccine does become available then I despair over how this will be handled.

Dave Biggart, Kilmacolm.

THERE has been much justified complaint in your Letters Pages recently and until October 4 I agreed with it. I was in the same state of despair after receiving the letter from NHS Scotland and endlessly phoning the number given, for many days. Then I sent off an email (twice) and received the usual "thanks for emailing" and that there would be a response asap. So I waited ... and waited. Speaking to a friend I learned that the best thing to do was to phone the number on the letter I had received but do it at exactly 4:15pm on any day.

So I did; the phone was answered immediately by a very pleasant lady who managed to give me an appointment. It is on November 4 in a hall in Kelso and not at my doctor's surgery. I am hoping that the flu doesn't arrive before the jab does.

Thelma Edwards, Kelso.

NICOLA Sturgeon did not claim that Scotland was on track to eliminate Covid-19 as William Loneskie (Letters, October 20) suggests.

During a daily briefing she did say: "Suppressing the virus, driving it as far as we can towards total elimination, has to be our overriding priority. And the First Minister stressed that elimination was different from eradication, and was about "getting it to the lowest possible levels we can in a country".

Attack the First Minister if needs must, but do so with a measure of accuracy.

Ian Ramsden, Paisley.