Call for patience in Eastwood and Kimberley as NHS battles to ramp up Covid booster programme in battle against Omicron

Already the online booking system for the jabs is being overwhelmed with huge virtual queues that are matched in person at vaccination centres up and down the country.

As services continue to battle, a call has gone out to people to be patient and continue to try to secure an appointment.

Concerns on where new vaccine centres will open and if people will be able to book an appointment close by are some of the issues being raised.

In Broxtowe, 42.3 per cent of the population aged 12 and over have had their third booster jab. In Ashfield, the figure is 42 per cent.

Mr Johnson delivered a televised message to households across the country on Sunday, December 12, following a rise in Omicron variant coronavirus cases.

He said everyone over the age of 18 will be offered a Covid booster jab by the end of December, provided three months have passed since their last jab, to help protect people from a fresh wave of infections.

The number of cases of the new variant is doubling every two to three days. – far quicker than the existing dominant Delta variant.

Mr Johnson has said extra vaccine and mobile sites would be set up and opening hours extended. More volunteers would be trained to deliver the vaccines.

Coun Milan Radulovic (Lab), leader of Broxtowe Borough Council, says he wrote to Public Health officials after residents were forced to travel outside of Broxtowe to receive their jab at the start of the year.

“I think it is manageable, but it is a logistical problem,” he said. “My concern is the most vulnerable people who can’t get to the centres. There needs to be a separate arrangement for them.

“Let’s have it thought through carefully and have extra vaccine centres in each town and each community.

“Broxtowe was the only area without a vaccine centre from the onset – and people had to travel miles. Put us in your thoughts.”

Cllr Jason Zadrozny (Ashfield Independents), leader of Ashfield District Council, added: “After Boris Johnson’s rushed announcement, we are awaiting further detail about the implications for the council. At the moment we have received no guidance.”

Amanda Sullivan, accountable officer at NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire CCG, said: “The NHS is working exceptionally hard to accelerate the booster programme to offer protection to as many people as quickly as possible.

“Locally, we are establishing a number of ways we can quickly step up the volumes of jabs given to the public.

“These will include increasing capacity at our sites, offering extended opening hours, standing up more vaccination sites, working to increase our vaccinator workforce, accepting the national support on offer which includes the military and supporting our GPs and community pharmacies to be able to offer the lifesaving jabs to as many people as possible.

“The local NHS is prioritising bookings for boosters.”