The new omicron Covid variant is spreading across the UK and has prompted Boris Johnson to bring in “plan B” for restrictions to curb the spread.
As a result, members of the public are being urged to get their third vaccine jab to boost immunity as a matter of urgency.
It had been hoped that the booster alone would be enough to fend off the virus this winter but the emergence of the new variant, thought to be more transmissible than its dominant delta predecessor, has forced the government’s hand in rolling out restrictions.
Now, face masks are once more mandatory on public transport and in shops, cinemas, theatres and places of worship and employees are being advised to work from home where possible from Monday, with an NHS Covid pass required for entry to crowded venues.
NHS rules on boosters have also been relaxed to allow all over-18s to eventually get their booster, not merely the elderly and vulnerable, a decision supported by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, which recently recommended cutting the period between second and third shots from six months to three.
There are currently 568 confirmed cases of omicron in the UK but health secretary Sajid Javid has said he believes the total is “probably closer to 10,000”, while the total number of daily coronavirus cases is slowly beginning to climb after weeks of high but stable numbers, hitting 51,342 on Wednesday.
Fortunately, deaths and hospitalisations remain relatively low. That could change, however, as increased mingling indoors over the festive season threatens to further drive up cases.
All of which means a third “top-up” vaccine jab is becoming ever more necessary as immunity begins to wane, with just 37 per cent of the UK’s population aged 12 or over having received one so far.
If you are eligible for a vaccine booster jab, you no longer have to wait for the NHS to contact you to make an appointment online.
You can currently get a booster if you are over 40 and it has been at least three months (91 days) since you received your second dose of one of the approved Covid vaccines.
You can also visit any walk-in vaccination centre to get your jab and people are advised to use the NHS online walk-in finder to locate their nearest centre.
If you’ve had a positive Covid test, you are advised to wait four weeks (28 days) before booking your booster, starting from the date you had the test.
“NHS staff are making it as easy as possible for people to get their top-up vaccination,” said Dr Nikki Kanani, deputy lead for the NHS Covid-19 vaccination programme.
“People can now go online, find their nearest site and go and get their booster without delay.
“The booster is not just nice to have, it is really important protection ahead of what we know will be a challenging winter.
“So if you are eligible, please do check the site finder and go get your jab.”
This article was amended on 10 December 2021. It had previously stated that Covid boosters were available to everybody over 18, but at the time of publication boosters were only being made available to adults over 40 and people in some additional high risk categories. We also removed a quote from a GP because, while it accurately reported their comments, we understood that it could have been held to over-simplify the science behind some vaccines.
