Tag: Professor Chris Whitty

Chief Medical Officer urges public to Get Boosted Now

New advert shows Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty urging public to get COVID-19 booster jab

  • Part of new multimedia marketing blitz as booster rollout accelerates to offer all adults in England a jab by end of the year
  • This comes as new milestone hit with 24 million boosters given in UK and 75% of over 50s boosted
  • Data shows booster is needed to protect against the Omicron variant

Chief Medical Officer for England Professor Chris Whitty is calling on the public to get a booster vaccination, in a nationwide advertising campaign launched yesterday (Tuesday 14 December) to further galvanise the booster programme.

This comes as a total of 24 million boosters and third doses have now been administered in the UK.

75% of over 50 year-olds across the UK have had their booster or third dose and over 1 million people have booked a booster vaccination appointment since the National Booking Service opened yesterday to people aged over 30 in England. The booking service will expand to all adults in England tomorrow.

The NHS in England experienced its busiest Monday ever for vaccinations this week since the rollout began in December last year when 418,000 boosters were delivered, with 185,000 of these delivered by community pharmacies.

The latest preliminary data has shown vaccine efficacy against symptomatic infection is substantially reduced against Omicron with just two doses, but a booster pushes protection back up to over 70%, showing how vital the top up jab is to bolster immunity.

In the advert, Professor Whitty says: “There is a new variant of COVID-19 – Omicron – which is highly infectious and spreading fast.

“Every adult in the country needs to get a COVID-19 booster vaccine.

“Boosters give you the best possible protection against the virus and should significantly reduce your risk of serious illness and hospitalisation.

“Get your COVID-19 booster vaccine to strengthen your protection. Please, get boosted now.”

Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid, said: “We know a booster jab increases protection against the Omicron variant and in our race against the virus it’s crucial everyone gets their top-up jab.

“Our heroic NHS staff and volunteers are working around the clock to speed up our vaccination programme, helping millions of people to get boosted now – so play your part, roll up your sleeves and get protected.”

Data suggests Omicron is extremely transmissible and is rapidly becoming the dominant variant as cases double every 2 to 3 days. The Chief Medical Officer is encouraging “every adult in the country” to get a booster vaccine and strengthen their protection.

The UK has the fastest booster rollout in Europe, with over 23 million people having received their boost so far, but to stay ahead in this race against the virus the booster programme is opening up to give every adult the chance to get their booster before the New Year.

To boost the booster programme the UK government and the NHS are:

  • Opening new vaccination sites across the country, including pop up and mobile sites
  • Increasing opening times of vaccination sites to 7 days a week
  • Asking GPs and pharmacies to do more vaccinations
  • Bringing in 750 Armed Forces Personnel and 41 military planners in every region to help coordinate the national effort

Coronavirus: ‘We MUST stay home’

Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty writes about the UK’s battle with Covid-19

We have faced several grave moments during our battle against coronavirus. But right now, the country is perhaps facing the most serious yet.

The new, more transmissible variant of this disease is spreading rapidly across the country and having tragic consequences.

On Monday the 4 UK Chief Medical Officers and the NHS Medical Director recommended raising the national alert level to the maximum of level 5 for the first time.

This means that without further action there is a material risk of our healthcare services being overwhelmed within 21 days.

Since then the situation has deteriorated further.

Hospitals are always busy in the winter but the NHS in some parts of the country is currently facing the most dangerous situation anyone can remember. If the virus continues on its current trajectory many hospitals will be in real difficulties, and very soon.

This means that the time people wait for care will continue to increase to potentially unsafe levels, hospitals won’t have room to take redirected emergency cases in regional networks, staff to patient ratios which are already stretched will become unacceptable even in places likes intensive care.

There will be avoidable deaths. NHS staff are doing their absolute best, and working remarkably; we all owe them a huge debt of gratitude, but even they have limits.

The public have made an extraordinary effort so far. Of course we are all tired of restrictions, but we need to find the collective strength to get through this critical stage and save as many lives as we can.

The advice right now is unambiguous: to drive the numbers down, we must stay home except for work, exercise and essential activities. Every unnecessary interaction you have could be the link in a chain of transmission which has a vulnerable person at the end.

These restrictions will not last forever. Science has delivered new vaccines, drugs and tests, with more on the way, in record time. People will be reunited. Vaccines and new treatments offer us hope and a clear way out. But we are not there yet, and should not act as if we are.

We still have weeks to go before vaccines will start reducing COVID deaths and, some weeks later, the number of people being hospitalised. We cannot afford to let our justified optimism for the future come at the expense of difficult action today.

That means for now staying home and avoiding all unnecessary contacts. By following the rules, we will save lives and help normal life return more swiftly.