Rugby MP Mark Pawsey is urging local residents to get their booster jab as we approach the anniversary of the first Covid-19 vaccination at University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire.
Over 18 million people in the UK have already had a Covid booster, their third jab, including 32,386 in Rugby and Bulkington. The UK’s total number of booster jabs administered is higher than any country with the exception of the USA and China. Getting the vaccine greatly reduces the risk of a serious illness from Covid-19 and remains the best line of defence for everyone.
In December 2020 the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was approved for use in the UK, allowing the life-saving vaccination programme to begin, starting with Margaret Keenan’s vaccination in Coventry on 8 December. The latest figures show that more than 115 million vaccine doses have been administered across the UK in almost a year, meaning that nine in ten people aged 12 and over having received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 80% of the adult population has received both vaccine doses.
This week, as a precaution in light of the new Omicron variant, the Conservative Government has expanded the booster programme to all adults over 18 and announced that all eligible people will be offered a top-up jab by the end of January.
To speed up the vaccination programme, around 400 military personnel will be drafted in to support deployment, with 1,500 community pharmacy sites, additional hospital hubs, and pop-up sites opening in convenient locations across the country. You can book a jab online at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/ or visit a local walk-in centre in Coventry and Warwickshire (details available here: https://www.happyhealthylives.uk/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccination/vaccination-drop-in-clinics/).
Mark commented:
“The vaccination programme remains the most important way we can keep safe, save lives and protect the NHS from coronavirus and the booster jabs will offer life-saving protection to everyone this winter. I have already had my booster jab, and I’d encourage everyone eligible in Rugby and Bulkington to get theirs as soon as possible.”
Mark continued:
“In just one year the UK has administered over 115 million doses of the vaccine, allowing us to ease the restrictions we had earlier in the year. The booster programme will help to maximise immunity following the emergency of the Omicron variant, and help to ensure that we can all enjoy Christmas safely with our loved ones.”