Carers urged to get boosters in bid to keep most vulnerable safe over winter
23 December 2021, 01:13 | Updated: 7 June 2023, 08:56
All unpaid carers, care home and home care workers have been urged to get their Covid booster jabs as soon as possible to protect the most vulnerable throughout winter.
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The Government has called for people to step up amid the rapid spread of the Omicron Covid variant, with all carers and recipients of care being offered priority access at vaccine sites.
It comes as a study from the University of Birmingham and UCL has shown that boosters significantly reduce the risk of severe Covid infections in care residents.
Findings suggested that there is up to a 12.3 fold increase in antibody response in residents without prior infection following their booster, reducing their risk.
However, only 34 per cent of elderly care home staff in England are said to have received their third doses.
Read more: Omicron ‘milder than Delta’, study suggests - as PM urged to set out post-Xmas Covid plans
Read more: UK reports more than 100,000 daily confirmed Covid cases for first time
Care Minister says government will not hesitate to act
Care Minister Gillian Keegan said: "Our fantastic social care workforce have shown time and time again during this pandemic the lengths they will go to deliver high-quality care in the most challenging circumstances – showing true dedication and professionalism – and I can’t thank them enough for all their hard work.
"We are calling on them to step up once again to come forward and protect themselves and those around them by getting boosted now, giving those they care for maximum protection over the winter.
"We're all in this together - please play your part."
Pregnant women and the clinically vulnerable have also been asked to take up the jab as part of the "new national mission" for the NHS.
The booster campaign has so far seen more than two thirds of people aged 18 and over receive their third jabs, with over 29 million boosters having been administered.
On Saturday alone, over 800,000 boosters were given out as part of the final push in the lead up to Christmas.
