Scots have been reminded not to phone wards about their Covid booster appointments after one hospital saw phone lines overwhelmed.
NHS Borders said that staff at Borders General Hospital are currently receiving a ‘high volume’ of calls in relation to the booster rollout.
Officials say that the telephone lines are being ‘overwhelmed’, which is preventing urgent calls reaching staff at the hospital.
A spokesperson for NHS Borders said: “Our switchboard at the BGH is receiving a high volume of calls from people with queries about vaccinations.
“These calls are overwhelming telephone lines that are required in the hospital.
“Please do not call the switchboard as out operators won’t be able to help you with your query.”
Alternatively, Scots can enquire about their appointments through the national vaccination helpline - which can be found by dealing 0800 030 8013.
The phone line is open from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week.
This news comes after booster vaccinations were opened up to all Scots aged 18 and over.
Scots can book their appointments on the NHS Scotland website, or they will receive a provisional time slot through a letter.
The drive to vaccinated all Scots adults with a booster jab comes amid concerns over the Omicron variant - which is said to be driving a recent surge in infection numbers in recent days.
Early studies have shown that the variant has a ‘high attack rate’ and could potentially impact the effectiveness of two doses of the coronavirus vaccine.
Daily Scottish Government figures today revealed that almost 6,000 new cases of Covid-19 were identified in the past 24 hours.
Nicola Sturgeon said that 45.4 per cent of the new cases came from confirmed or suspected cases of Omicron.
It is estimated that Omicron will overtake Delta as the dominant Covid variant in Scotland from Friday.
The First Minister strongly advised Scots to stay at home in a bid to prevent further spread of the strain.
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