Booster jabs for thousands in Wiltshire after new target announced
45% over the age of 12 have been triple jabbed
Last updated 17th Dec 2021
Thousands of people received an extra dose of the coronavirus vaccine in Wiltshire after a new booster jab target was announced by the Prime Minister.
It's as a new vaccine centre has opened in Salisbury at the Bourne Retail Park.
On Sunday (December 12th), Boris Johnson revealed that every eligible adult in England is to be offered a top-up injection by the end of December, a month earlier than previously planned.
Data from the UK coronavirus dashboard shows at least 6,856 people in Wiltshire received a booster or third vaccine dose on December 13 and 14 – the latest available data.
That was up from 4,890 over the same two days last week.
It means 208,173 people in Wiltshire had received a booster or third dose by December 14 – at least 45% of people aged 12 and over, based on the number of people on the National Immunisation Management Service database.
Speaking at a Downing Street press conference on Wednesday night, Boris Johnson said it is “absolutely vital” that everyone gets a booster jab to tackle the Omicron variant of coronavirus.
He warned that the wave of Omicron "continues to roll in" across the UK, and warned in some areas the doubling rate was now under two days.
Health bosses urge everyone to get vaccinated
There are still 227,000 people who have not received a single dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in the South West.
That is according to the latest figures from NHS England and NHS Improvement South West, with 152,000 people yet to have their second dose.
Health bosses across the region are urging people to get vaccinated, saying 'it's the best defence we've got'.
Dr Michael Marsh, is a Medical Director at NHS England and NHS Improvement South West. He says the request to expand the booster campaign comes at a time when the health and social care system is under 'great pressure'.
He says that we all have a personal responsibility to stay safe: "It's not just about Omicron, it's about ordinary, other every day things in life.
"It's not the time to take high risks, it's not the time to do dangerous things. Really think about your own safety.
"The Prime Minister indicated that some hospital and GP appointments will need to be deferred, so we are having to step down some things despite our desire to continue as much as possible.
"We really need to focus on the booster campaign and vaccinations because the better protected we are, the less we will see an increased demand through the winter period for all forms of healthcare. "The less likely it is that we'll get sick or severely ill patients presenting to healthcare and the less hospital admissions we'll be having to deal with at a time when we expect to be really stretched; or even find ourselves in a position where we're having to make really difficult decisions about prioritisation."