The government has announced new targets to hit a million jabs per day this December as it battles against a forthcoming ‘tidal wave of Omicron’.
Appearing in a pre-recorded televised broadcast on BBC One last night, the Prime Minister announced plans to ‘turbo charge’ the booster vaccination programme in England after stating that two doses of vaccination did not offer sufficient protection against the new strain.
In response to last night’s broadcast, the NHS website booking website has reportedly crashed several times.
The UK’s Covid Alert Level was raised from level 3 to level 4 over the weekend by chief medical officers, owing to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.
The newer variant is expected to become the dominant strain by mid-December as cases are doubling every two to three days.
The first UK death from the variant has been reported today.
Speaking to the nation yesterday, the Prime Minister said: “I am afraid we are now facing an emergency in our battle with the new variant, Omicron, and we must urgently reinforce our wall of vaccine protection to keep our friends and loved ones safe.”
He continued: “We know from bitter experience how these exponential curves develop.
“No-one should be in any doubt: there is a tidal wave of Omicron coming, and I’m afraid it is now clear that two doses of vaccine are simply not enough to give the level of protection we all need.
“But the good news is that our scientists are confident that with a third dose – a booster dose – we can all bring our level of protection back up.”
Here’s what you need to know about booking your booster jab.
Who is eligible for a Covid-19 booster?
Anyone aged 30 and older is now able to book in for their Covid-19 booster jab, as long as it has been at least three months since you had your second dose of the vaccine.
Anyone over the age of 18 is also eligible for a booster jab, but won’t be able to pre-book on Wednesday December 15.
People in this age group may be able to get their jab at a walk-in vaccination centre.
Other groups who are eligible to book a booster are those who live and work in care homes, frontline health and social care workers, and over 16s with underlying health conditions.
How do you book your booster jab?
If you’re aged 30 or over, you can book your booster jab online through the NHS website.
You’ll be offered appointments that are at least three months after your second dose.
The same service will allow those aged 18 and over to book their boosters from Wednesday December 15.
Pop-up and walk-in vaccination centres will also be offering booster jabs to anyone aged over 18 from today, as long as it has been three months since their second dose.
What side-effects are possible after your booster?
The side-effects for the booster jab are very similar to the two initial vaccinations.
According to the NHS, these are all common symptoms to experience:
- a painful, heavy feeling and tenderness in the arm where you had your injection – this tends to be worst around one to two days after the vaccine
- feeling tired
- headache
- general aches or mild flu-like symptoms
Resting and taking paracetamol should help with these symptoms.
Anyone who is feeling feverish and/or has a high temperature for longer than two to three days after their booster is advised to call NHS 111.
Where are the walk-in vaccination centres in Leeds?
There are walk-in sites right across Leeds – you can search for one on the NHS website here.
Alternatively, you can find a list of walk-in sites in Leeds here.
Feature image – GOV.uk
