Older Brits can book new booster jabs from Monday in bid to halt Covid resurgence
OLDER people will be able to book their spring Covid booster from Monday — as cases and hospital admissions rise again.
It will start the roll-out of fourth doses to the most vulnerable — six months on from when third jabs were given.
About 200,000 over-75s will become eligible for their booster next week.
Texts and letters offering the top-up will go out to the older age group, care home residents and people with weak immune systems.
It comes as figures show Covid is spreading once more. Across the UK, cases are up 52 per cent in the past week with 70,000 testing positive daily, on average.
Hospital admissions are up a fifth in that time and are rising in older age groups.
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Experts fear this is an early sign that immunity has begun to wane.
There was a surge yesterday with 91,345 cases. Hospital patient numbers in England exceeded 11,000 for the first time in five weeks.
Office for National Statistics figures show death rates have been rising even in jabbed and boosted groups.
An NHS source said: “We’re seeing cases increasing among the elderly and it’s right that we crack on with the booster roll-out.”
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Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has called for “more oomph on fourth jabs”.
The NHS said it was continuing to follow Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation guidance which recommends jabs six months after a first booster.
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Health Secretary Sajid Javid has said case rates rises were to be expected after England’s February 24 Freedom Day when Covid laws were axed.
No plans have been announced to give fourth jabs to over-50s who had their vaccinations from last October.