Please, get your Covid-19 booster now.
As the Prime Minister made clear at the weekend, there is a tidal wave of Omicron coming, and it is now clear that two doses of vaccine are simply not enough to give the level of protection we all need. However, the scientists are confident that with a third dose – a booster dose – we can all bring our level of protection back up.
This week the Omicron Emergency Boost has been launched, which will offer every eligible adult their booster before the New Year. Military planning teams are being deployed across the country to set up additional vaccine sites and vaccination clinics will extend their opening hours. This is a major national effort.
By the time you read this on Wednesday more information will be available about the nearest walk-in centres and the appointment slots available. For the most up-to-date information please check https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/
The increased threat from the Omicron variant means the Government has decided to enact the ‘Plan B’ measures set out in the summer and designed to prevent the NHS being overwhelmed.
Be under no illusions, if Omicron proves to be even a fraction as dangerous as Delta then we have a very hard winter ahead of us. Omicron is the most infectious variant yet seen and is spreading throughout the country at an extraordinary rate. If millions of people are infected simultaneously then it requires only a small fraction of them to get seriously ill for the NHS to be overwhelmed.
The very best means of preventing the worst effects of the virus is vaccination. The more people in the country who are triple vaccinated, the fewer people will get seriously ill. The fewer people who are seriously ill, the less pressure there will be on the NHS this winter and the more likely we are to be able to help everyone get the health care they need when they need it.
I had my third jab on Sunday. If you have not yet had yours, please heed the call.
