MORE than 70,000 Covid booster jabs have been administered to people in Wirral over the last seven weeks.

Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group said the milestone was reached after another week in which over 13,800 booster doses were given.

It compares to 63,112 first doses given in Wirral within the first seven weeks of the initial roll out.

A growing number of walk-in sites are now also administering crucial booster vaccines, making it easier and more convenient for those eligible to get their jab.

People eligible for their booster can use the NHS online walk-in finder www.nhs.uk/grab-a-jab to find the most convenient site to get their top-up without an appointment.

This adds to the existing offer through the National Booking Service with further invitations going out nationally this week as more people become eligible, six months on from their second dose.

More than 500,000 vaccines have already been administered in Wirral since the vaccination programme began and 81% of those eligible have now had at least one dose of the vaccine.

Dr Paula Cowan, Wirral GP and Chair of NHS Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group, said: "This autumn and winter, it's vital that eligible people come forward for their Covid-19 booster vaccine to protect themselves, their loved ones and the NHS.

"Vaccinated people, and especially those who have had their booster, are less likely to get serious Covid-19 symptoms and there is evidence that they are less likely to pass the virus on to others.

"The Covid-19 vaccine booster will help maintain the protection for the most vulnerable people in Wirral from serious illness and hospitalisation through the winter months. Please book your vaccine as soon as you are invited at one of Wirral’s vaccination centres or a community pharmacy."

Dr Linda Charles-Ozuzu, regional director of commissioning and senior responsible officer for the Vaccination Programme in the North West, said: "It's hugely encouraging to see so many people coming forward for their booster vaccine.

"We know that this extra dose will extend the protection people already have from their first two doses and will also help to protect the people around them, which is going to be absolutely vital as we go into winter.

"Our teams are working hard to get people vaccinated as quickly as possible once it’s been six months since their second dose and I'd urge people who are eligible not to wait, but to get booked in for their booster vaccine straight away.”

People will be offered a booster dose no earlier than six months after completion of their primary vaccine course. This includes those who are:

  • Living in residential care homes for older adults
  • Aged 50 years or over
  • Frontline health and social care workers
  • Aged 16-49 years with underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk of severe Covid-19 (as set out in the green book), and adult carers
  • Household contacts (aged 16 or over) of immunosuppressed individuals.

To book a booster vaccine, eligible people can visit www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination or call 119.

The NHS site finder website is being regularly updated with sites able to offer walk-in booster vaccines - www.nhs.uk/grab-a-jab.