Britain's health authorities said on Sunday that bookings for the COVID booster vaccines for everyone aged 30 and above in England will be open from Monday, as one of the key actions aimed at tackling the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.
There are around 7.5 million people aged 30 to 39, and 3.5 million of those are eligible for boosters from Monday. Early analysis shows booster jabs are effective against the Omicron variant, the first cases of which have started getting hospitalised now.
There is no reported death from the variant in the UK yet, but experts warn that it is set to take over from Delta as the dominant coronavirus variant by the end of this year.
Education Secretary Nadhim Zahaw on Monday said the new variant represents a 'huge bump in the road' for the nation's recovery from the pandemic. He painted a grim picture of the spread of the mutant strain and said it now accounts for one third of all cases in London.
Given that Christmas is around the corner, a wave of infection is projected which could lead to a peak of more than 2,000 daily hospital admissions, with 175,000 hospital admissions and 24,700 deaths between December 1 this year and April 30 next year, even under the most optimistic scenario.
Booster vaccines are, therefore, the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones from this virus and new variants, said UK Vaccines Minister Maggie Throup.
"It is now a race between the booster and the Omicron variant," said Zahawi.
On Saturday, UK recorded another 54,073 COVID-19 infections, including 633 of the Omicron variant.
