NHS invites another two million for booster jabs
TWO million people who are eligible for a Covid-19 booster vaccination will receive their invitation from the NHS this week.
NHS England said more than five million people have already been given the additional jab since the vaccination programme began administering them last month.
Anyone who receives a text or letter inviting them for a booster shot is urged to take up the offer as soon as possible.
NHS England said 7.5 million people have already been invited by text, email and letter, encouraging them to book through the National Booking Service.
The NHS is following guidance that boosters should be delivered at least six months after the second dose, with current evidence suggesting this is the best time to increase immunity to Covid-19.
Messages will come from NHSvaccine and will include a link to the NHS website.
Currently around 10 million people in England are eligible for a booster, including health and care workers, those with underlying health conditions, and people aged 50 and over.
NHS medical director Professor Stephen Powis said: “Winter is coming and infection rates are rising and so it’s now really important that everyone receiving their invite for a booster vaccine from the NHS this week books in at one of the convenient vaccination sites around the country offering this crucial, additional protection.
“Thanks to NHS staff, nine in 10 people have had a first dose, saving tens of thousands of lives, and now more than five million boosters have been delivered in the first month of the rollout.
“I would urge anyone receiving an invite this week to book in as soon as possible – the booster dose is proven to significantly increase protection against Covid and will provide vital protection this winter.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has resisted pleas from health leaders for tighter restrictions despite the rising number of cases, said vaccines will get the country through the winter and out of the pandemic.
But Professor Adam Finn, who is on the Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), said the vaccination programme will not be enough to bring the current coronavirus numbers under control.
The University of Bristol expert said that while vaccines are very effective at stopping people from getting seriously ill, they are not so effective at stopping infections altogether or halting the spread of the virus.
“They do have an effect on that, but they’re not by themselves going to be enough at the present time to keep the spread of the virus under control.
“And we do need to see people continuing to make efforts to avoid contact, to avoid transmission, and to do other things as well as get vaccinated if we’re going to stop this rise from going up further,” he told Trevor Phillips On Sunday on Sky News.
Prof Finn added: “I would like to re-emphasise the fact that the vaccine programme by itself, in the current situation, even if things go optimally, is not, in my opinion, enough to bring things under control.
“We do need to have people using lateral flow tests, avoiding contact with large numbers of people in enclosed spaces, using masks, all of those things now need to happen if we’re going to stop this rise and get things under control soon enough to stop a real meltdown in the middle of the winter.”