A race to stop the spread Omicron variant of coronavirus will see the nation’s most vulnerable get four coronavirus jabs, an NHS chief revealed.
Today, 22 Omicron cases were reported in the UK.
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Amanda Pritchard (Chief Executive, NHS England) today stated that millions more people can be eligible for boosters.
Speaking at a Downing Street press conference this afternoon she said that the NHS would be following new advise from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
She stated: “The NHS Covid Programme is in its most complex phase. It is working at brakeneck speed at this change of eligibility.
“The JCVI also recommends the introduction of a fourth jab to the most vulnerable patients, who are undergoing chemotherapy or have other immune problems.
“We will vaccinate the most vulnerable first and then open it up in other waves.”
Yesterday, it was revealed that anyone aged 18 to 39 would be eligible for Covid booster jabs. However, the vulnerable will still be first in line.
The only people who can book via the national booking system are those aged 40+ and those with a condition that requires them be vaccinated.
Pritchard advised those younger than 65 to wait until the NHS contacts their area before coming forward to get their jabs.
Also, it is possible that those who have had a fourth jab will be contacted their healthcare provider once they have received their fourth dose.
She stated that she had written today to the NHS describing the steps required to move the program forward.
Pritchard stated that the NHS would need to have more capacity.
“Hundreds of hospitals have already started jabbing their staff. We now ask them to vacinate local NHS workers, eligible patient and social care staff.
“Roughly 30 hospitals offer jabs through the national book service, and dozens more will come online by the middle of next week.
“Our hard-working GPs, community pharmacists and primary care colleagues have delivered the lion’s share of the vaccinations so far. We’re looking at how we can help them to do even more by cutting other burdens on them to free up clinicians’ time.”
Cash for jabs
Pritchard announced that a cash incentive would also be used to reward hardworking employees for the jabs rollout.
She explained that GPs and pharmacies would be offered £15 per jab until the end of January, with an extra £5 for those administered on a Sunday and a £30 premium for those delivered to the housebound until the end of next month.
She stated that this was to ensure as many jabs can be delivered.
Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, announced today that the army would be deployed along with pop-up locations to save Christmas amid the uncertainty around the Omicron variant.
However, he admitted that he could not rule out a new lockdown but stated that tough restrictions were unlikely.
How many doses do I need?
The Vulnerable previously spoke out about their confusion regarding third jabs, booster Jabs, and fourth doses.
Some patients may need a third dose before they can get their booster.
This applies to those who are immunosuppressed severely – in other words, close to half a billion Brits.
These people have weak immune systems, and some are more susceptible to antibodies after receiving coronavirus jabs.
The third dose is to be used as an extra dose for people who may not have had an adequate immune response to the previous two doses.
This list includes those who have had an organ transplant, are HIV-positive or have recently been diagnosed with cancer. However, it is not the complete shielding list as was created during lockdowns.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation said that a third dose should be given to those who were in this class at the time they received their first or second dose.
They explained that these people might not be able to respond fully to vaccinations and are therefore less protected than the general population.
“This offer is separate to any potential booster programme.”
The third dose should be administered eight weeks after the second, and before any booster vaccinations.
Professor Wei Shen Lim, Chair of Covid-19 Immunisation for the JCVI said that people in this group would have a third dose on top of their initial two doses, in the hope that this would reduce their risk of severe outcomes such as hospitalisations and death.
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