Speaking in a pre-recorded broadcast from Downing Street tonight, Boris Johnson urged the public to “get boosted now” in the wake of the arrival of the Omicron variant in Britain. The Prime Minister warned that “two doses of vaccine are simply not enough” to ward off the rising infection levels, but confidently stated that a third dose can bring the nation’s Covid protection level back up.
He said: “I am afraid we are now facing an emergency in our battle with the new variant, Omicron, and we must urgently reinforce our wall of vaccine protection to keep our friends and loved ones safe.”
The Prime Minister went on: “If you haven’t yet had a vaccine at all, then please get yourself at least some protection with a jab as quickly as possible. If you’ve already had your booster, encourage your friends and family to do the same.
“We are a great country. We have the vaccines to protect our people. So let’s do it. Let’s Get Boosted Now.”
Until today, only over 40s have been able to book their Covid jab. But now, the Government has committed to an ambitious target of getting all over 18s their booster before the year is out.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson sets ambitious booster target – Speech IN FULL
COVID-19 booster vaccines are also to be made available to people aged 18-39 in Scotland from next week, with booking going live on Monday. More details are expected to follow on boosters for 18-29-year-olds
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon added on Twitter: “Appointments will open later in week for 18-29 year olds – date to follow shortly.
“If you are in older age groups and haven’t yet had booster, please also book now.”
Mr Johnson’s announcement of the accelerated program today comes as Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said the UK is in a “race” to get the booster to eligible adults “as quickly as possible”, adding: “We are over 20 million (booster jabs) already.”
When asked whether he is worried not enough people are coming forward for the jab, he said: “We saw some queues yesterday at walk-in centres, and I have to say people on the whole have been behaving well.
“We’ve had a couple of incidents that were in the East Midlands, one incident specifically where someone was very aggressive and that should not happen to anybody who is administering a life-saving vaccine, but we’ve seen some amazing examples. A school in east London vaccinating students and teachers and parents who have never had a vaccine.”