Covid-19 UK: NHS begs over-50s to get coronavirus booster jabs ahead of Xmas ... trends now
Over-50s are being urged to get their Covid booster vaccines ahead of Christmas, with cases on the rise once again.
Health chiefs have dished out 14.4million Autumn boosters in England so far but 38 per cent of eligible adults are still yet to get their fifth dose, official data shows.
NHS England's chief executive Amanda Pritchard said 'the best thing' they can do to get protected against the virus and aid the struggling health service is get another jab.
The plea comes two years to the day after Maggie Keenan became the first person in the world to get an approved coronavirus vaccine.
Over-50s are being urged to get their Covid booster vaccines ahead of Christmas with cases on the rise again. Health chiefs have dished out 14.4million Autumn boosters as of November 30, but 38 per cent of eligible adults are still yet to get their fifth dose, official data shows
Booster vaccinations have consistently slowed since early October, when they peaked at around 508,000 per day in England. On November 28, the latest date data is available for, just 39,207 were administered
Uptake has been highest in people aged 80 to 84, 81 per cent of whom were fully-jabbed as of November 30. In contrast, fewer than 39 per cent of of people aged 50 to 54 have taken up the offer of a jab to date
Pictured: Margaret Keenan, 91, becomes the first patient in the world to receive a vaccine on December 8, 2020, at University Hospital Coventry
Ms Pritchard said: 'The unparalleled success of the life-saving NHS Covid-19 vaccination programme... has been the single most important reason we have been able to get back to a pre-pandemic way of life.
'The health service is currently facing huge pressure from all angles and, while Covid may feel like a thing of the past, we continue to deal with thousands of Covid hospitalisations as well as the resurgence of flu and other respiratory viruses.
'Just as it was two years ago, the best thing you can do to avoid serious illness and hospitalisation is to make sure you are up to date with your Covid and flu
