• More than 10 million people across the UK – including 1,552,387 across the Midlands – have now received a COVID-19 booster or third jab to protect themselves and their loved ones this winter.
• Matt Warman is calling for vulnerable people in Boston & Skegness who have not yet come forward to do so as soon as possible to help build our wall of defence and keep people safe over the winter months.
• The Conservative Government is making it easier than ever to get topped-up by allowing people to book their appointments five months after their second dose from Monday and making booster jabs available at walk-in centres without appointments.

Matt Warman has welcomed the news that 1,552,387 people in the Midlands have received their COVID-19 booster or third jab as the Conservative government continues to step up efforts to ensure that vulnerable people are fully protected against COVID-19 over the winter.

The latest figures show that more than 10 million people across the UK have received their COVID-19 booster or third jabs, ensuring the vital protection they have secured from their first two doses is maintained over the winter months.

A total of 10,062,704 people have received their booster and third jabs in the UK. 45,836,791 people have had two doses (79.7%) and 50,234,416 people have received one dose (87.4%).

Seven in 10 over 80s and three in five over-50s in England are already vaccinated with top-up jabs.

NHS England will be inviting another three million people who will become eligible for their booster next week. More than 13 million invites, including texts, letters and emails, have already been sent to eligible people in England so far asking them to book their booster online through the National Booking Service. The additional letters due to land next week will mean around 16 million invites have been sent in England since the NHS booster programme began.

The National Booking Service will be updated tomorrow (Monday 8 November) to allow those eligible for a booster vaccine – people over 50 and those most at risk of COVID-19 – to pre-book their jab five months after their second dose.

People will still receive their vaccine six months after their second dose, but the change will speed up the vaccination programme by allowing people to receive a jab the day they become eligible, rather than waiting for a convenient appointment.

People will also be able to book by calling 119 and can get vaccinated at hundreds of walk-in sites across the country six months after their second dose without an appointment. Those eligible can use the NHS online walk-in finder to locate the most convenient site.

COVID-19 booster vaccines have been delivered or booked in at every older adult care home in England where safe to do so, with almost nine in 10 care homes already visited.

Commenting, Matt Warman said:

“It is absolutely fantastic news that 1,552,387 people across the Midlands have received a booster dose or third vaccination, which will offer life-saving protection to them and their loved ones this winter.

“Those people, including everyone who has got their third jab in Boston & Skegness, are part of the ten million people across the country who have already received a booster jab. I would urge anyone who is eligible and hasn’t yet come forward to get a booster jab as soon as possible, by booking online or at one of our local walk-in sites.

We can all do our bit this winter to protect our loved ones and the NHS, and to stay ahead in the race against the virus, by taking up the offer of a vaccine as soon as we are eligible.”

Commenting, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said:

“More than 10 million people across the UK now have the vital protection boosters provide, building our wall of defence and keeping people safe over the winter months. We know immunity begins to wane after six months, particularly for the elderly and at-risk groups, and booster jabs will ensure our most vulnerable are protected over the winter.

“It’s never been easier to get your top-up jabs now that those eligible can book in advance or visit hundreds of walk-in sites across the country.

“Please do not delay – get your vaccines as soon as you can to protect yourself and your loved ones this winter so we can keep the virus at bay.”

Notes to Editors:

The Conservative government is:

• Rolling out the fastest vaccine programme in Europe, allowing us to live with the virus without significant restrictions on our freedoms. Almost nine in ten people aged 12 and over have now received a first vaccine dose – with almost eight in ten having also received a second dose. The latest data shows that vaccines have saved almost 130,000 deaths and prevented almost 250,000 hospitalisations. Public Health England, Coronavirus Dashboard, accessed 21October 2021
• Securing two new ground-breaking Covid antiviral drugs, preventing the spread of the virus and bolstering our defence for the winter months ahead. We have secured 730,000 doses of two new ground-breaking antiviral drugs – which will help to prevent the infection from spreading and speed up recovery times for people. DHSC, Press Release, 20 October 2021
• Securing a portfolio of 517 million doses of the eight most promising vaccines through our Vaccine Taskforce for the whole of the Union. We have secured a portfolio of 517 million doses of the most promising vaccines, including over 210 million doses of the Oxford-Astrazenca, Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines being administered across the UK, as well as 20 million doses of the Janssen vaccine which be rolled out later this year. DHSC, Press Release, 28 May 2021; DHSC, Press Release, 7 May 2021.
• Putting the NHS on a sustainable financial footing, so it is there for future generations. We will deliver around £12 billion a year in extra funding for our frontline health and social care across the UK over the next three years – a total of £36 billion. This is in addition to our historic settlement for the NHS in 2018, which will see its budget rise by £33.9 billion a year by 2023-24. Prime Minister’s Office, Build Back Better: Our Plan for Health and Social Care, 7 September 2021
• Delivering the biggest catch-up programme in the NHS’s history, so that everyone can get the care they deserve. Over the next three years, will deliver the equivalent of around nine million more checks, scans and procedures – and elective activity will be around 30 per cent than it was before the pandemic. Once the NHS has recovered from the pandemic, activity should be ten per cent higher than under the NHS Long Term Plan. Prime Minister’s Office, Build Back Better: Our Plan for Health and Social Care, 7 September 2021