Town halls will be used for the region’s flu vaccination programme if there is a coronavirus spike in the coming weeks.
The health board has put in place a contingency plan costing hundreds of thousands of pounds if GP practices cannot be used.
The vaccination programme is due to get under way next month and run until December.
A report for Monday’s health board meeting revealed the majority of GP practices across Dumfries and Galloway are happy to provide accommodation for the vaccination scheme if social distancing, infection control and one-way systems are used.
However, some are not, with “plan A” featuring a proposal for patients to be given their vaccine at local hospitals.
That includes Kirkcudbright patients, who would go to the town’s hospital, with Cairnsmore and Galloway Hills patients going to Newton Stewart.
The report reveals an additional 25,000 patients need to be vaccinated this year because the Scottish Government is extending the programme – normally on offer to people aged 65 or over – to people aged between 55 and 64 and household members of people who are shielding.
The full cost of “plan A” is £180,000, which includes nine additional staff joining the existing team of 11.
But a further £279,609 could be needed if there is a spike in Covid-19 that means further practices may no longer be able to provide accommodation for immunisation staff.
The report’s authors suggest an additional “plan B” which would include creating vaccination centres in council properties.
That would see Castle Douglas and New Galloway patients head to Castle Douglas Town Hall with Dalbeattie patients going to the town hall there. If Kirkcudbright hospital was no longer available, the council offices at Daar Road would be used.
The report’s authors point out this step may only need to be taken in parts of the region where there is a cluster of cases.
Both plans would need to be run if there is a spike, taking the overall cost to £460,000.
