MORE THAN 725,000 Covid jab appointments are up for grabs this week, as the spring booster drive begins.
Some five million vulnerable Brits are eligible to claim these slots, according to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.
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This includes care home residents, people over 75 and those with a weakened immune system.
It comes after scientists sounded the alarm over a new Covid strain, which has undergone several mutations that increase its ability to spread between humans.
The new Arcturus variant – officially known as XBB.1.16 – has torn through India in recent weeks and been found on UK shores.
Though there’s no evidence Arcturus causes a more severe disease, it has brought with it a strange new symptom that mostly seems to be affecting children.
Over 320,000 Brits have already booked an appointment over the last couple weeks and will receive the lifesaving jab today.
Meanwhile, NHS staff begun visiting care homes on April 3 to give residents their spring booster doses.
For the first time, people eligible for the vaccine will all received their initial invitations through the NHS App.
The NHS has issued 1.25 million invites so far and a further one million people will be asked to book a vaccine appointment this week, if they haven’t done so already.
You’ll be able to book your appointment on the app as well.
If you’re not using the app, you’ll get a text message, email or letter inviting you to come forward for a jab.
NHS director of vaccinations and screening Steve Russell said: “The Covid vaccine still has a crucial role to play in protecting those at greatest risk of severe illness from the virus, including those with a weakened immune system as well as all aged 75 and above.”
Meanwhile, health secretary Steve Barclay urged Brits who’ve previously been jabbed to remember that immunity to the bug fades over time.
With over 3,000 vaccination sites across England, it couldn’t be easier to get your jab when invited so please do not hesitate.
“The offer of a first and second dose of vaccine to healthy adults will also be ending on 30 June and I strongly encourage anyone who has not yet come forward to join the nearly 43 million who have already received both doses.”
Who is eligible for a spring booster?
You’ll be able to claim a dose in a couple months time if you’re:
- an adult aged 75 years and over;
- a residents in a care home for older adults; or
- immunosuppressed and aged five years and over
If you’re part of one of these vulnerable groups, you’ll have to wait six months after your previous dose to get the spring booster, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation said.
Which vaccine you’re offered will depend on your age and supply in your local area.
Children under 12 will be offered a children’s formulation of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine.
Brits invited to claim an appointment should make sure it takes place least three months since their last dose.
And if you believe you’re eligible for a vaccine but haven’t been invited to get one, you can check if you are online or self-declare your eligibility through the National Booking Service.
Spring booster dose appointments will close after June 30.
Around 60,000 babies and toddlers with serious health conditions will be eligible for a Covid vaccine for the first time in the UK, come June.
People under 50 were urged to come forward for their last chance to get a booster jab in February.
More than 15 million over-50s received their autumn booster vaccine, thanks to the efforts of the Sun’s Jabs Army campaign.
Flu and Covid vaccines also surged thanks to the Sun’s Do The Double drive – which received praise from health ministers.
While Covid is still circulating, newer variants have proved to be milder, causing cold and flu like symptoms.
The mammoth rollout of vaccines across the UK means many already have some level of protection from the bug.
And even though the Arcturus variant is causing infections in people who have been vaccinated, it doesn’t mean its capable of causing severe illness.
According to the ZOE health study, common Covid symptoms include:
1. Sore throat (found in 57 per cent of cases)
2. Runny nose (57 per cent)
3. Blocked nose (56 per cent)
4. Sneezing (53 per cent)
5. Headache (53 per cent)
6. Cough no phlegm (50 per cent)
7. Cough with phlegm (40 per cent)
8. Hoarse voice (34 per cent)
9. Muscle pain aches (29 per cent)
10. Dizzy (19 per cent)
11. Eye soreness (19 per cent)
12. Fatigue (18 per cent)
13. Swollen glands (17 per cent)
14. Altered smell (17 per cent)
15. Loss of smell (17 per cent)
16. Earache (16 per cent)
17. Shortness of breath (14 per cent)
18. Chest pain tightness (13 per cent)
19. Chills or shivers (13 per cent)
20. Joint pain shoulders (11 per cent)
But doctors in India said they were seeing a sudden surge conjunctivitis causing ‘itchy’ and ‘sticky’ eyes, particularly affecting children who caught Covid.
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