Boris Johnson has said the NHS is stepping “back into the breach yet again” as he vowed vaccination centres would be “popping up like Christmas trees” as part of the UK’s booster jab drive.
The Prime Minister, addressing the nation from Downing Street, was setting out measures to combat growing fears over the new Omicron Covid variant.
He said: “We’re going to get behind the men and women of our NHS who saved so many lives and run our vaccination programme without a break as they have, who are going back into the breach yet again.”
He added that his government would be deploying “at least 400 military personnel” so assist the NHS and the “jabs army” of volunteers.
Meanwhile, the NHS has asked for military assistance to aid its bid to more than double the current Covid vaccination booster rates.
The expansion of the vaccination programme, to include all adults 18 and over, will also see the time between second jabs and boosters cut from six to three months – meaning the NHS will have to vaccinate 13 million people in addition to the 6 million already promised during the winter.
Sources attending an NHS webinar on Monday evening told The Independent the Ministry of Defence has been contacted by NHS leaders to provide staffing support.
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