The race is on to administer as many booster shots as possible. The Government has set a target of offering a third dose to everyone in England over the age of 18 by the end of January. Meeting this must be a national priority.
Happily, supply is not the issue. Rather, it is capacity. At the height of the vaccine roll-out last spring, around four million jabs were being given a week. At present, it is closer to 2.5 million boosters, alongside a further smaller number of first and second doses.
The reality is we must ramp up capacity to meet these targets, save Christmas and protect our economic recovery. There is also another area of concern — the shape of the NHS.
Even if the Omicron variant turns out to be less dangerous than many fear, our health service is in a parlous state. It would not take a much more contagious variant, or one that only evaded vaccines a little more, to threaten to overwhelm it.
That is why it is so crucial, for your health and all those around you, that all those eligible take up their booster shot. The Government must direct the full force of the state to urgently build up capacity, round up volunteers, bring in local pharmacies, do whatever it takes in this great national effort.
With new therapeutic drugs coming online, there is every chance that next year will be better than this one. But it requires another big push from politicians and the public alike.
Never has it been more critical to get jabbed.
