All Brits offered Omicron-beating Covid booster as NHS hits New Year’s target

ALL Brits have now been offered the chance to book in for their Omicron-beating Covid booster.

The NHS and Government have hit the ambitious target to send out all invites by New Year’s Eve.

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In just one month everyone eligible for a top up shot – vital to gain protection from the variant – has been contacted.

A string of hugely positive studies show Omicron IS milder than other strains, with the first official UK report revealing the risk of hospitalisation is 50 to 70 per cent lower than with Delta.

Covid booster jabs protect against Omicron and offer the best chance to get through the pandemic, health officials have repeatedly said.

The Sun’s Jabs Army campaign is helping get the vital extra vaccines in Brits’ arms to ward off the need for any new restrictions.

On November 30, the government set out its ambition to offer all eligible adults the chance to get their top-up jab by the end of January.

The target was then brought forward by the PM and the NHS earlier this month through the Get Boosted Now campaign, as Omicron began to spread further.

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More than 28.1 million people in England – more than 7 in 10 of eligible adults – have now had their booster.

This includes around 90 per cent of those aged 50 and over who are eligible.

The NHS in England has broken record after record in the rollout – including the highest number of jabs ever recorded in a single day: 830,000 top-ups on December 18.

This was also the day the UK hit over one million vaccinations in total, including first, second, third and booster doses – jumping from 928,000 the previous day.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: “Our world-leading vaccination programme has meant tens of millions of people have been able to see their loved ones this Christmas knowing they have the protection of the booster.

“I am delighted to confirm we have hit our target of offering a Covid-19 booster to all adults by the New Year.

“I am incredibly proud of the work the NHS has done to accelerate the programme and offer my thanks to the frontline staff, volunteers, Armed Forces and British public who have made it possible for us to meet this commitment.”

Some eligible people can’t get their booster yet after catching the virus, as the majority have to wait 28 days following infection before receiving a booster.

Dr Emily Lawson, head of the NHS Covid-19 vaccination programme, added: “I am hugely grateful for the extraordinary efforts of NHS staff and volunteers this year, who have gone above and beyond to roll out the NHS vaccination programme and who, in just over 12 months, have administered more than 110 million life-saving Covid-19 jabs.

“With Covid-19 cases continuing to rise rapidly, the best resolution you can make this new year is to protect yourself and those around you, so I urge you to come forward for your booster as soon as you can, and with hundreds of thousands of appointments available in the coming days, it has never been easier to grab your jab.”

The dose interval between the second dose and booster dose was also reduced from six months to three months on the advice of the independent JCVI – with booking made available one month in advance.

More than 214,000 jabs were reported across Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, including 184,445 boosters.

All adults can get the jab by booking online through the National Booking Service or by visiting their nearest walk-in vaccination centre.

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