A significant rise in the first “Covid” vaccines with the progress of vaccine refusals

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The latest government figures showed that the number of people receiving their first doses of the Covid vaccine rose in the lead-up to Christmas.

Just over 221,000 first doses were given in England in the week ending December 21 – an increase of 46 per cent over the previous week, the Department of Health and Social Care said.

The largest increase was seen among young adults — one of the groups the vaccine program found hard to reach — with an 85 percent increase in first doses for those aged 18 to 24, and a 71 percent increase in first doses for those aged 18 to 24 years old. They are between 25 and 30 years old.

The latest data also showed progress in reaching older Britons who did not respond to the call for a Covid vaccine through 2021. In the week to December 21, more than 60-year-olds got their first dose than in any seven-day period since early June.

The numbers showed that just over 279,000 second doses of the vaccine were also administered in the expanded programme, up 39 percent from the previous week.

More than 30 million people have already received their third dose and a booster dose will be provided to all eligible by the end of the year as part of the Get Boosted Now campaign.

Queues formed at pharmacies on Christmas Day as people were seen waiting for ‘jingle stabs’ as the booster vaccination program continued over the festive period in England.

NHS England thanked health service staff who work or volunteer on Christmas Day, while Health Secretary Sajid Javid urged people to “make the booster medicine a part of Christmas this year”.

Dr Emily Lawson, head of the NHS Covid immunization programme, said it was “cool” to see people stepping forward at Christmas. In a letter to vaccine refusers — as well as those still getting their boosters — she said, “It’s never too late to get your first or second dose or booster shot.”

Although millions of people have received a booster dose in the past few weeks, about 10 percent of appointments nationwide have been missed. Hundreds of thousands of people have also been forced to delay a jab after testing positive for Covid.

More than seven in 10 people 18 years of age or older had received a booster, with 2,712,7951 people three months after the second dose already receiving a booster in England, as of December 24.

Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie are pictured on a sofa in Checkers, his official residence in the country, talking to the NHS vaccine “champions” on Christmas Day. The Prime Minister spoke with senior health officials via virtual calls.

Johnson is expected to check the latest Covid data on Monday. He may have to decide whether to impose new restrictions by Tuesday at the latest if he wants to summon Parliament and allow MPs to have their say on any restrictions needed over the new year.

Data suggesting that the Omicron variant may cause less serious disease than the Delta strain has raised hopes that more restrictions may not be necessary after Christmas.

The UK’s Health Security Agency has estimated that a person with Omicron is 50 per cent to 70 per cent less likely to be hospitalized than a person with delta – which agency chief Jenny Harris referred to as a “Christmas ray of hope”. .

However, in a dismal assessment published late on Christmas Eve, top government advisers warned that a large wave of Covid hospital admissions should be expected “soon” and could be worse than last winter.

The minutes of the December 23 Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (Sage) meeting also warned that the peak in admissions this winter “may be similar to or higher than the previous peak”.

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