COVID-19: UK govt allows early booking of booster jabs to speed up vaccine rollout

Amid the increasing cases of COVID-19, the British government has announced that booster shots for citizens will now be available a month earlier than the original date. Meaning, eligible people will receive an invitation for the COVID vaccine at least five months after their second jab, instead of six months.

According to the latest order issued by the UK health authorities, pre-booking for the COVID vaccine will start from Monday, November 8, 2021.

Notably, more than 9 million booster shots have already been administered across the UK, and through this pre-booking system, the British government is aiming to inoculate those individuals who are at high risk, including senior citizens. According to a report published in The Guardian, the UK's health secretary, Sajid Javid, said the plans would "accelerate the booster program" and asked people not to delay getting jabbed.

This decision came after a study claimed that top-up jabs would be needed every few months to make sure that there was no further mutation of the COVID virus and locals stayed safe. Researchers and health experts have claimed that vaccination is of utmost importance to prevent the COVID-19 virus from attacking people and claiming more lives. According to some studies, those individuals who are fully vaccinated have nearly 65% less chance of getting an asymptomatic infection for at least three months.

The British authorities have also increased the vaccination sites in England compared with the beginning of the month this year. More than 500 extra vaccine centers have been set up across the UK to reach out to more and more people. Meanwhile, vaccination facilities are also available in schools for those aged between 12-15. Along with increasing the vaccination process, the UK health authorities have also approved the use of the oral pill to treat symptomatic COVID-19 patients.

COVID situation in the UK

The UK is witnessing a steep surge in COVID cases, as the country reported 34,029 COVID cases in the last 24 hours, followed by 193 fresh deaths caused by the COVID virus. In the last 24 hours, the country administered a total of 334,398 booster jabs, taking the total number to 9.4 million, while 45.8 million people have had two doses of the vaccine.

Image: Pixabay