‘Booster roll-out not fast enough’

THE ROLL-OUT of Covid-19 booster jabs in the over-50s will miss the Christmas deadline, according to predictions.

Across England, around 230,000 people are being given their third jab each day, reported the i.

But this will miss the Government’s Christmas deadline of delivering a booster jab to all over 50s. Instead, it is predicted to take until the start of February to complete.

This has raised concerns about families mixing indoors over Christmas.

Cllr Charles Margetts, executive member for health at the borough council, said that he is calling for urgent action from Berkshire West CCG to increase the booster jab programme.

He said that with just two pharmacies in Wokingham borough offering the jabs, it is “simply not good enough”.

The mobile vaccination service is also not operating at the moment.

Cllr Margetts said nine care homes in the borough are yet to receive any booster jabs, and is concerned the CCG is not offering this third jab to care home staff.

“[This is] possibly presenting a route into care homes for covid,” he said.

While the number of people getting their booster jab is increasing nationally, it is significantly lower than the number of first doses that were administered when the vaccination programme began last December.

And data show the gap between the number of over-50s eligible for their booster jab, and those who have received it, is widening.

Cllr Margetts said the roll-out this time around is too slow, and the borough is far behind the national trend when it comes to ages 65 to 69, and residents with no underlying health conditions.

He is also concerned about “how poor the take up of the flu vaccination is”.

Borough residents can get their second, or third booster jab in Wokingham town centre at Rose Street pharmacy and at Tesco’s pharmacy on Finchampstead Road. Jabs are also avaliable at Newdays pharmacy in Twyford.

There are also sites open in Reading and Bracknell.