Boris Johnson and Sajid Javid are telling Britons today that their country needs them to get their Covid-19 booster jabs.
Reminding the public of the risks still posed by coronavirus, the Prime Minister says those who have been double-vaccinated should not be ‘over-confident’ about their immunity – and risk becoming ‘seriously ill’ if they fail to take up the offer to get their third.
Saying ‘people don’t quite realise the first two jabs start to wane’ and urging the over-50s, who qualify for a booster shot six months and one week after their second jab, to book an appointment even if the NHS has not contacted them, he adds: ‘Please, please, please can everybody get their boosters.’
As The Mail on Sunday revealed last week, Ministers want people to be able to book their booster a month before it is due, but there has been frustration about delays.
Mr Javid said last night: ‘I have asked officials to change the booking system so those eligible will be able to book their booster at five months so they can receive their jab as soon as they reach the six-month mark.
‘This change will be made in the coming days.
‘Not only will you be protecting yourself, you’ll be giving this country the best chance of getting through the winter without restrictions, and making sure that the painful restrictions of last winter are an exception and not a rule.’
Echoing Mr Johnson’s warning, the Health Secretary said: ‘Although our vaccines give powerful protection, we know the protection from a Covid-19 vaccine wanes over time, just as it does with other vaccines.
