A RECORD-BREAKING amount of coronavirus jags were administered earlier this week, says NHS Borders.

A total of 2,750 vaccine doses were given on Tuesday (December 21), the most ever delivered across the region in a single day.

Vaccination programmes in Scotland have been accelerated in an attempt to combat the spread of the Omicron variant.

The first cases in the Borders have been confirmed by Scottish Government data – with the region’s total at 17 on December 24.

On the current situation, Ralph Roberts, the health board’s chief executive, said: “Cases of COVID-19 in the community are rising sharply, and we expect this to continue over the coming weeks.

“As more people become infected, the chance of them needing to access health care increases.

“Given how contagious Omicron is, high numbers of people requiring care could have a significant impact on our ability to staff and run our services; particularly when we factor in staff absences due to the virus.

“We are taking steps to be as prepared as we can be, and our plans include stopping some services if required in order to be able to continue providing care in areas where the clinical need is more urgent.

“These plans are being drawn up with input from clinical colleagues.”