Highest surge in COVID-19 booster appointments on vaccine anniversary
More than 5,151 people in South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw snapped up booster appointments on Wednesday December 8 after the National Booking Service opened to those age 40 and over to book their life-saving top-up after the updated three-month interval.
This means that there are now almost 86,000 boosters booked in SYB across December and January and nearly 100,000 COVID-19 vaccinations booked in total including both first and second doses.
Kirsten Major, Chief Executive of Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, said: “It's fantastic to see that 5,151 people in SYB booked their top-up jabs on Wednesday through the NBS, one of our highest days for booster bookings yet - and on the same day that we marked one year of the NHS Covid-19 Vaccination Programme. Overall, an incredible 2,549,850 million doses have now been delivered in SYB over the past year by hard-working NHS staff and volunteers.
I would urge everyone in their forties, or anyone else who is eligible, to take up the offer as soon as possible. Recent evidence published by the BMJ showed that 20 weeks after receiving 2 vaccines, immunity had dropped to 44-62%. Receiving a booster increased protection to over 93%. The vaccine remains the best way to keep yourself and your loved ones safe from coronavirus this winter.”
The NHS will offer every eligible adult an opportunity to book in for their booster jab by the end of January, and in line with the updated JCVI guidance the health service is inviting people most at risk from the virus first, and is working through age groups in stages before opening up to other age groups.
With the National Booking Service now updated following the publication of UKHSA’s Patient Group Directive, all eligible adults aged 40 and over can now book their life-saving booster jab two months (61 days) after their second dose using the NHS national booking system (https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/), getting their top-up in protection three months (91 days) on from their second dose following updated JCVI guidance.
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