To those wondering whether a booter was necessary, the PM said, “We’ve already seen hospitalisations doubling in a week in South Africa, and we have patients with Omicron, here in the UK right now. At this point, our scientists cannot say that that Omnicron is less severe.
“And even if that proved to be true, we already know it is so much more transmissible that a wave of Omicron through a population that was not boosted would risk a level of hospitalisation that could overwhelm our NHS and lead, sadly, to very many deaths.
He continued by saying, “So we must act now. Today we are launching the Omicron emergency booster national mission, unlike anything we’ve done before in the vaccination programme, to get boosted now. A fortnight ago, I said we would offer every eligible adult a booster by the end of January.
“Today, in light of this Omicron emergency, I’m bringing that target forward by a whole month. Everyone eligible aged 18 and over in England will have the chance to get their booster before the new year.”
The UK government will provide additional support to the devolved administrations to accelerate vaccinations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
To achieve this new booster vaccination target, the NHS will have to administer a record number of jabs daily between now and 31 December.
He added that the decision to speed up the jab rate would mean some NHS appointments would need to be postponed until the new year, arguing that if we don’t do this now, the level of cancellations and disruptions would be “even greater” in the New Year if the Omicron wave was allowed to rise.
In a plea to NHS front line staff – GPs, doctors, nurses, porters and others – all of whom he said “had worked incredibly hard” throughout the pandemic, Mr Johnson said: “I must ask you to make another extraordinary effort now, so we can protect you, and your colleagues, and above all, protect your patients from even greater pressures next year.”
From today, every adult over 18 in England who has had a second dose of a vaccine at least three months ago will be able to have their booster jab.
Announcing the booster vaccination target, the NHS booking system is expected to open for those under the age of 30 from Wednesday, but the Prime Minister said, “in some cases you can walk in from tomorrow”.
This health emergency mission will also see the government deploy 42 military planning teams deployed across every health region, extra vaccine sites and mobile units, extended clinic opening hours, and the training of thousands more volunteer vaccinators.
My Johnson had announced a move to Plan B on Wednesday with face-coverings required in most public settings, working-from-home if you can, and from Wednesday, subject to a parliamentary vote, a requirement to show a COVID Pass or negative Lateral Flow Test (LFT) to enter into nightclubs and larger events.
