Fresh appeal for 1m unvaccinated to get a jab
NHS chiefs are urging over a million people in the North East and Yorkshire who have not had a coronavirus jab to come forward for their vaccination.
They say there are more than 210,000 vaccination appointments available on the National Booking Service in the region until Sunday and peoplecanalsousetheNHSonlinewalk-infindertofindtheir nearest walk-in site, or call 119.
Dr Yvette Oade, the NHS region’s clinical lead for the Covid-19 vaccination programme, says the priority remains on achieving the highest possible uptake of vaccine.
She said: “The achievements of the vaccination programme regionally and nationally have been excellent, but there remains work to be done.
“There was an acceleration of the vaccination programme fromduringDecember,sothat all eligible adults have been offered Covid-19 vaccine doses. IntheNorthEastandYorkshire we have delivered 4.6 million booster jabs and passed the milestone of 17 million doses since the programme began.
“Wenowneedtoencourage anyone who hasn’t yet come forward, together with those who have recently become eligible, to receive the vaccine."
She added: “In the North East and Yorkshire, more than one million people are eligible for vaccination but have not come forward.
"People who are unvaccinated are at risk of not protecting themselves, their families and those around them.
“Although some commentators have referred to Omicron as mild in terms of its symptoms, we should be aware evidence shows that for people who are unvaccinated, Covid-19 remains a serious illness, regardless of the variant concerned.”